Both of You
by Maerynn
Summary: Chat Noir finds Marinette sobbing on her balcony one night, very clearly upset. Concerned about his friend's well-being, Adrien goes out of his way as his alter-ego to put a smile back on her lips. As they both learn to know each other better, they both unveil secrets and newfound feelings. Will their unexpected blooming friendship be without consequences?
1. Chapter 1: Her tears

Chat Noir bounced recklessly from rooftop to rooftop, relentlessly propelling himself in the night's sky with his silver staff, carefully scanning Paris' streets in search of any akumas on the loose, any crime in the making for him to stop, any damsel in distress to rescue. Anything, really, to delay in any possible way the much-dreaded way back to a sterile and unwelcoming mansion. Despite the fact his skintight black leather suit was doing next to nothing to keep him warm in this late November night, he couldn't bring himself to return to his warm yet empty room just yet. So he kept moving without ever slowing since it was the most efficient solution he had found to avoid the awful bite of the cold on his skin. The young blonde had something to prove, and he couldn't do it without something - anything - interesting happening.

He was desperately waiting for an opportunity, any occasion to be perfectly honest, to show his dearest Ladybug how much he was devoted heart and soul to his heroic duties. That he wasn't only a shameless flirt goofing his way around and wasn't taking their mission any less seriously than her.

As of late, he had been coming to terms with the idea that Ladybug and he simply weren't meant to be, and that their relationship would remain just like it was: an iron strong friendship based on respective unwavering trust with their very lives. True, he had had a hard time wrapping his mind around the fact his fantasies about kisses with his faceless partner atop the Eiffel Tower wouldn't ever bud into something real, but that knowledge stung less and less with each passing day. She still wasn't taking him seriously, though, even if he had laid back significantly with his lame attempts at making her smile. His lady was still pinning him as a silly cat, and he was itching to change that wrong perception of him at last.

This night was too quiet for his purpose. It was his turn to patrol on his own, and truth be told, he was desperately pining for some action, if only to steer his mind away from his wild and depressing thoughts. Honestly, his patrol should have ended hours ago, but he stretched it out every chance he got to. Years of maintaining his rather peculiar schedule had him more than trained at bracing his rather busy days with less than five hours of sleep, and he wasn't even barely feeling tired as it currently was. He genuinely didn't want to head home just yet, go back to an empty and way too huge house without anybody to authentically care about him or his feelings within its immense walls. Besides, Parisian rooftops were much better company than Plagg when he was feeling like this, even in his partner's notable absence.

Adrien knew very well his father wouldn't look that deep into his thin sleeping schedule nor his odd eating habits (honestly, how could something as little as Plagg ingest that amount of gross cheese on a daily basis was beyond him) as long as he was careful to maintain his level of excellence in the activities that had been imposed on him along with his school work. For the past four years or so, he had dutifully played the part of the perfect son without fail, hoping to gain a little sympathy of the older Agreste, to no avail. Nothing Adrien could do or say would change the condescending way his father regarded him. He had won a country-wide fencing competition just barely even a few days ago, and the only people that were cheering for him from the benches had been Marinette and Alya, Nino sending him a congratulatory SMS soon after he got the news. No famous designer had been spotted anywhere near the building where the competition was held that day.

The bite of the cold finally seeped through the leather of his suit despite his constant moving, making him shudder violently as he passed the Dupain-Cheng bakery. The thought that he could very well commission winter gear from Marinette for both himself and his spotted partner to get through the coldest days of the winter brushed his mind, and he wondered how he could approach her about that the next day at school. Would she believe Chat Noir had come to him with a special order? After all, it wasn't like Paris' superheroes could casually stroll into any boutique to buy coats and scarves without causing a ruckus, and they both had rather specific and odd needs to stay functional through a battle.

Chat Noir shook his head. She would never buy that lame excuse, she was too clever for her own good. He would have to try to talk to her about it as his heroic self, that would be much less suspicious. He was about to resume his futile and desperate chase for heroic duties and head back to the mansion to a warm and most welcomed though dreaded bed when the sound reached his magical ears.

A subtle, almost inaudible sob in the dead of the night. So soft and faint.

He stopped dead in his tracks and bounced toward the balcony from where he heard that unsettling muffled sound, intending to make it all better. Crack a few puns, tease the sad girl a little to put a smile back on her face, and maybe give a comforting pat on the shoulder or two before going on his merry way.

He was the famous Chat Noir, pun professional and part-time superhero. His job was to protect every citizen of Paris from harm, no matter where it came from.

Not all heroic duties were grandiose and newsworthy, after all.

However, when he realized that his enhanced hearing had brought him back to the Dupain-Cheng bakery, his heroic quest for a crying girl to comfort was instantly shoved at the back of his mind, long forgotten. The prospect of spending a little time with his favorite bakers' daughter thrilled him. He loved the unique warmth his shy friend emanated when he was with her as his alter ego and the pleasant fuzzy feeling she always seemed to leave lingering in his heart when they parted ways. Sure enough, a few stolen minutes in her company would lift his spirits up and help him get rid of his sour mood.

So, the leather clad boy landed behind his pigtailed friend on her balcony with a wide grin.

* * *

Through her sobs, Marinette was startled by a soft and well-known thump behind, safely indicating that Chat Noir had chosen this night, out of all nights, to visit her. This had become an unsettling habit of his over the few last years. The feline hero would drop off unannounced every now and then, not even trying to find an excuse anymore. He claimed rather loudly to thoroughly enjoy her company, and had even admitted a few weeks ago that she was the only friend he was comfortable enough to truly be himself around.

If you'd ask her, she would've sworn this annoying habit of his was utterly pissing her off and was bothersome beyond any common sense. But deep inside, if she was to be completely honest with herself, she couldn't deny that the attention he gave her, and her only, was most secretly pleasing her and making her feel... well... whole. And appreciated.

But tonight, out of all nights, she wasn't in the mood for any of his lame kitty puns, his goofy behavior or for anything else coming from him. She didn't even want him to touch her.

All she wanted was to be left alone with her sorrows. And cry like there was no tomorrow.

She didn't even bother turning around to face him. She wanted him gone already. She clutched the thick blanket tighter around her, trying to fend off the bite of the cold. A violent shiver ran through her whole being, and the young lady felt her partner creep closer. She knew that he was standing close to her, too close for him having missed the way she purposely turned away from him or the way her whole being was stiff and unwelcoming. She carefully kept her face hidden from him, for she didn't want her silly partner to notice the tell tale streaks on her cheeks, nor the way her eyes were red and swollen. She didn't want to give him grounds to ask questions she wasn't ready to answer.

Not yet, maybe not ever.

Her feline friend took another step toward her, his arms hung open for a hug, but she instinctively jerked away from his touch without being able to look at him. Like his sight alone was enough to burn through her very skin. She wrapped herself even further into the blanket, and stubbornly kept her eyes riveted to the ground.

* * *

That's when Chat Noir finally noticed despite her efforts to hide it. Her swollen and reddish eyes still full of unshed tears. Her breath short from all the sobs, and her beautiful face covered in salty drops. Unsettled by how much his princess was obviously upset, the young hero let his arms drop awkwardly by his sides and said softly, "Good evening, princess, what a coincidence, I was just thinking of you! What are you doing outside in this cold? Have you been missing yours truly? Is that why you're crying this much?"

"Not tonight, Chat," she snapped before wrapping her arms around herself under the blanket in a protective manner. As if she was trying to prevent herself from falling apart.

Chat's heart and head went wild at this simple but unfamiliar gesture.

This was the very first time Marinette had shut him down like this, without even trying to play along with him a little. Usually, she would flirt along a bit and throw back some sassy comebacks at him before shutting him out for the night with some good (or not) excuse. Never before had she acted so... hostile toward him. It was the first time in all the years he's known her that she was so eager to shut him out like that. Without any form of explanation.

He knew right away that something wasn't right. "Princess? What's on your mind? What's making my sweet little princess cry?"

"None of your business, alley cat," she answered dryly before closing her eyes, shaking her head as if trying to shake off her sorrows.

Chat Noir whimpered just as if she had slapped him with all her might. "Anything making my dear princess cry is my business."

* * *

Marinette couldn't take it anymore. She was so tired of uselessly trying to hold back her tears. She looked at him, her dearest kitty, the very best friend she had, dead in the eyes, her own irises limpid pools of azure tainted with her infinite sadness, and his green giant lakes of worries fixed on her raspberry lips trembling from the emotion shaking her at her very core.

He looked at her soft and innocent face for what seemed to be an eternity, before pulling her into a tight hug and kissing the top of her head softly. At this, she couldn't hold it any longer and dissolved in a mess of tears and violent sobs. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head again on his toned chest letting all her distress flow on the black leather suit.

* * *

Chat didn't know what had managed to upset her that much, but he knew for sure that she was truly shaken. He loved spending time with her as Chat since she was usually much more like herself than when he was around as Adrien. After four long years, she still hadn't managed to compose herself to be coherent around his civilian self, and that saddened him very much. She was such a wonderful girl, full of talents and happiness overall. A marvelous girl that everyone seemed to know and cherish.

Everyone. Except Adrien.

It was because of this that he began visiting her as Chat, to begin with. He was fascinated by how much the Marinette letting Chat in her room every other night was different from the Marinette that couldn't even look at Adrien without stuttering. Over the months at first, and then the years, Chat grew quite fond of her and came to truly cherish the special moments he got to spend with his sassy princess. But right now, she was far from the comforting ray of sunshine she normally was. She was nothing more than a crying, sobbing mess, clinging to his suit with all the strength she could muster in her hands.

She didn't have any way to know it, but at that very moment, Chat Noir vowed to himself to protect her no matter what. Against all odds, he would shield her from everything that might someday come her way.

Even if he kept claiming high and loud that he was in love with Ladybug for the sake of the show.

His sweet little Marinette would always come first from this day on.

She needed him. And he was happy to oblige.


	2. Chapter 2: Thick shell

Marinette lazily shifted in her bed, slowly waking up to the rays of the sun gently caressing her face. The last thing she recalled from the night before was Chat Noir tenderly cradling her to sleep, trying uselessly to ease her pain. She didn't remember going to bed so she safely assumed he was the one who had tucked her in when she had finally managed to cry herself to sleep.

She felt uneasy knowing that Chat had gotten to see her so vulnerable. Without a doubt, he was going to ask her about it on his next visit, and she didn't know what acceptable lie he would take for an answer. Because there was no way she could tell him the plain and ugly truth. Absolutely no way that she could explain to him what was slowly and effectively breaking her without also telling him that she was his still faceless partner. That she was his one and only dear Ladybug.

How could she tell him that the pressure of managing her double life was taking its toll on her without giving out that she was Ladybug?

That she couldn't manage being bubbly sweet little Marinette, struggling with her final year of high school, her promising yet stressful future career as an haute couture designer; and Ladybug, Paris' beloved superhero that could do nothing wrong?

How could she tell him that she was tired of living on edge, afraid that someone would figure her out somehow? And then come after her loved ones? That she was deathly afraid that people she cared about, that he, out of all people, would get hurt because of who she was?

She was exhausted, juggling her superhero life along with classes, homework, designs and her part-time job at the bakery. She couldn't take it anymore, but she had no one to talk to about it apart from Tikki who couldn't fully understand despite her thousands of years of existence. Hence she had kept it safely all bottled up inside her. Well, up until that night. When Chat took her by surprise, and she wasn't able to compose herself before facing him when he unexpectedly landed on her balcony. His obvious compassion for her pain was her undoing and she had let her guard down in front of him.

She regretted it. Very much.

Because now she dreaded the questions to come.

Because she couldn't honestly answer any of them without revealing to him that she was Ladybug. And that, she couldn't imagine facing the consequences. Facing him coming to the realization that his beloved hero was only her, a zero.

* * *

Class had long started and Adrien had been staring intently at Marinette's back for almost twenty minutes now. Nino elbowed him alright, man? Haven't seen you look away from Marinette's hair for a while now! Trying to drill a hole in her head or what?"

Adrien shrugged. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just a little worried about her to be honest. Don't you find her a little bit... off, today?"

Nino laughed off the idea. "Marinette, off? Don't worry, man, she's probably thinking about some new design. She'll be brighter than ever before tomorrow."

Adrien knew Nino spoke from experience. True, Marinette had a tendency to bury herself into work whenever inspiration struck. The very the next day, she was usually back to her bubbly, happy, almost sappy self without even a second thought. So nobody ever questioned it anymore when she looked a bit down.

But Adrien knew all too well she wasn't okay.

He was trying to find the crack in her mask, in her perfect emotionless facade. He was trying to find an excuse to talk to her and ask her what was on her mind. The despair in her eyes the night before was hunting him every time he closed his and he just couldn't bear doing nothing to help her.

* * *

When the bell rang, every student in the room hurried to gather their things and leave. Adrien silently nodded to Nino to go on without him. As the classroom emptied he found himself alone with Marinette, who was slowly, painfully, putting her things back in her bag, her movements somewhat mechanical and robotic. When she got up, absorbed in her own thoughts, he lunged toward her and grabbed her wrist, startling her.

"A-Adrien? W-What..."

"Are you okay, Marinette? You seem preoccupied today. " He cut her off, unable to hide the concern in his eyes.

A sad smile flickered on her lips. "I-I guess I am. D-Don't worry about me, I'll b-be fine." She closed her eyes and smiled shyly. "I-I have a friend looking after me," she stated, surprising them both.

She didn't know why she had felt compelled to tell him that, but it felt right as she said it. She didn't want him to worry about her, it was more than enough that Chat had to witness her pain the night before. Adrien mused over what she had just said, wondering if said friend had pointy ears and was leather clad.

He tugged on her arm, snapping her attention back at him: "I just want you to know that I'm there for you if you ever need to talk about what's bothering you, or even just to vent a little.

She looked at him, and he finally saw it. The crack in her mask. Her usually amazingly blue eyes were dimmed, emotionless. Lifeless. "Thanks, Adrien. I... I appreciate it, though I-I'll be fine."

He reluctantly let go of her arm and she hurried past him and out of the classroom leaving a stunned Adrien behind her.

Plagg risked an eye out of his breast pocket. "What was that all about, Adrien? When did you start caring for her?"

"I... I don't know, Plagg. But she was so sad yesterday, so broken. I wish I could do something to cheer her up."

"I can think of a few things." The little kwami mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing."

* * *

With a soft thud, Chat Noir landed on her balcony. He kneeled before her trap door, squinting his eyes trying to figure out if she was alone or not.

"It doesn't matter anyway, Tikki," he heard her say dryly. "To him I'll just ever be just plain, boring, little Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I don't even stand a chance."

That statement made Chat's heart drop a little in his chest. Sure, he himself had never thought of Marinette in a romantic way, his mind hopelessly filled with a certain red bug, but he couldn't believe that she thought so little of herself. Marinette was many things, but plain and boring she sure wasn't.

Uneasy at eavesdropping like that he tapped gently on the glass startling the young girl who jolted from her chair. She unlatched the trapdoor after a short delay where he heard shuffle behind the panel.

"Chat? I wasn't expecting you tonight. Is everything alright?"

Oh no, it wasn't. Not with what he just heard by accident, but he couldn't bluntly tell her just that. And something really bugged him. "Are you alone, princess? I heard voices."

Her cheeks flushed instantly and she stammered."Y-Y-yeah, I'm all by myself. I was talking to myself, you know, to fill the silence and such."

"Who's Tikki?" he asked pointedly.

* * *

Marinette's eyes went wide at this, and her brain kicked in, trying to find something plausible to send him off her track: "My plushie", she said, pointing at the little Chat Noir plush resting on her bed. A gag gift from Alya that she had grown to cherish over the years.

Chat's eyes narrowed. "You named a plushie made after me... Tikki?"

Marinette stammered. "Well, Kitty was a bit too obvious, so I thought..."

At that, she saw him relax. Good. He was buying it.

"So you named it Tikki. Clever." He chuckled lightly. "So, what were you talking about with Tikki? Maybe I could replace it as your confidant, princess. I'll behave. Well, I'll try." he added, trying to lighten her mood.

* * *

In vain. Her face darkened instantly. He almost regretted asking about it. Almost.

"I don't want to bother you with school problems, Chat. Surely you have something better to do with your time."

"To be honest, after the little number you pulled on me yesterday, I had to check on you. Make sure you're okay. Which clearly you aren't."

Marinette averted her eyes from the ground and forced herself to look at him dead in the eyes. He flinched. There it was again. The darkness in her unique blue eyes, the shadow lurking behind them.

"I'll be fine, silly kitty. You made sure of that. Thank you for putting me to bed, actually."

He sighed. "Don't feed me your little white lies, princess. I know you're upset. There was despair in your crying yesterday. And you talk in your sleep."

Now panic was all he could see in her eyes. Good. Panic was an emotion. Not a good one, but still.

"I... I what now?" was all she could manage to utter.

"You heard me. You talk in your sleep. Some gibberish about not being good enough for him, though I don't know who "him" is, and being exhausted. You also talked about unicorns and feeding them rainbows, but I took that as my cue to leave you alone with your dreams."

That was a long shot. She had never spoken in her sleep. In fact, when she finally cried herself to sleep the night before she was so heavy and motionless that he checked her for a pulse before tucking her tenderly into bed.

But he had to try. He had to try and crack the overly thick shell she had built around her. Around her heart.

She let out a deep sigh and shook her head as if she was trying to reorganize her thoughts. That's when he noticed how close he was standing to her. With a shy smile, he motioned for her to sit on her chaise and sat beside her, taking her hands into his own, caressing the back of her hand with his thumb.

"Hey. I'm your friend. You know that, right?"

She looked at him. There it was again. That shadow in her eyes, that... emptiness.

"I'm useless. Worthless. Boring. Plain," she blurted.

Chat didn't know what hurt most. Knowing that she truly believed all these lies, or being painfully aware that he could do next to nothing to convince her otherwise. Unless…

"Bullshit," he spat angrily.

She got up, not bothering to notice how upset she was making him now. Her voice was not loud since she was afraid of waking up her parents, but it was very audible. Firm. Certain. "No, it's true."

"It's..."

"Stop. Chat. Please stop. If you're REALLY my friend as you implied earlier, stop. I'm tired. Hell, I'm way beyond tired. I have to manage those designing gigs, school, the bakery that can barely sustain itself, young adult drama and... well... other stuff too. And I'm just tired. I can't take it anymore. I don't want to go on. In fact, what I would like most right now is a few years off the face of the earth."

His answer came instantly. "I can give you that."

"W-What?" Marinette stuttered, taken aback by his statement.

He shrugged, shifting closer to her, hoping she wouldn't notice his movements. "If that's want you really want, I can give you that. A week or two off the face of the earth."

"You're just saying that..."

"No."

There was a certainty in his words that made her look at him again. "Why would you do that?"

His heart sank a little further. "You need it. Like I said before, I'm your friend. I want you to heal, to be yourself once again."

Her smile was sad, sickening even. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to be myself again. But thanks."


	3. Chapter 3: Some vacation

Adrien let out a long sigh before propping himself on his bed, still fully dressed in his day's clothes. Plagg flew in front of him with a teasing smirk, casually munching on a camembert piece. "What's the matter, Adrien?"

The blond turned on his back, staring intently at his bedroom's ceiling as he spoke. "I don't know how to actually help her, Plagg. I mean, I would like to treat her to some retreat, some vacation of some sort so she could rest a little. She is obviously in dire need of some long overdue sleep. But I don't want to make matters worse by putting her behind in school work and other stuff."

Plagg snorted a little, rolling his eyes in disbelief at his charge. "So basically, you have no clue how to keep the promise you made her."

The young man sighed again. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, it's not like Chat Noir could bring her to a nice bed-and-breakfast or a spa without sparking crazy rumors, and that wouldn't help her the slightest. Why won't she let me help as Adrien? If only she was comfortable enough around me to actually talk to me. It'd be so easy. I'd bring her to the country house for a weekend, and she could rest a little and gather her thoughts."

Plagg shot him a funny look. "It seems like a great idea. I mean, the girl's your friend and you obviously care for her. What's holding you back?"

Adrien looked at his kwami just like he had just grown a second head. "Don't you think she'll find it odd, me suddenly wanting to spend time with her?"

The black little god shook his head as he helped himself to another piece of cheese. "It's anything but sudden. You've been spending a lot of time with her and your other friends ever since you started going to that school. Who knows, maybe she's as dying to get to know you better as you are?"

The young blond groaned in disbelief, making the small kwami chuckle with mischief. "Alright, alright. Just tell her Chat Noir came to you and asked you to help her on his behalf, then."

Adrien smiled broadly as he jerked upright in his bed. "You know what, Plagg? Maybe you got it right this time."

"Do I get camembert out of it?" The pillow Adrien threw him to shut him up missed by merely a hair, prompting the kwami to fly out of view while cackling.

* * *

Marinette plopped herself down in her computer chair, burying her head in her arms with a loud groan. She was on the verge of tears, considering in despair her still-growing pile of undone assignments, her unfinished portfolio, the overwhelming clutter that had taken over her room and her current level of exhaustion. She only had a few hours left before her patrol, and it was clear that she wouldn't have enough time to do everything she had planned to do that evening. "Tikki, how will I manage to get through this year alive?" she whimpered softly.

The small kwami flew in front of Marinette, clearly worried about her charge. "You're this exhausted, Mari?"

The young woman sighed in defeat. Exhausted didn't begin to cut how she was truly feeling. She hated to admit it out loud, but her complicated life was overwhelming her, and she was growing tired of the constant sadness and worries, the nagging feeling of being inadequate in every single sphere of her life.

"I'm way beyond exhausted. I... I think I'm feeling a bit down honestly, Tikki. I don't think I was cut for leading a double life, after all. This is becoming too much to bear on my own."

The red kwami seemed truly alarmed at that comment, dropping the cookie she had been eating and rushing to tightly hug the young woman's cheek. "Oh oh. Are you feeling depressed, Marinette?"

She eyed her kwami curiously. "Maybe a little, why? Surely it will pass."

Tikki had a panicked look that made the young woman feel uneasy. "You are overworking yourself, Marinette, and it's really, really not good. You really have to rest or else it could very well end badly."

The young designer looked at her magical friend skeptically. Her littlest companion was obviously hiding something rather important from her, but she was feeling way too tired to try and coax it out of her knowing just how much Tikki could be stubborn about secrecy when she put her ancestral mind to it. She shrugged, deciding that she'd get back to it at another time. "O-Okay, Tikki. I'll try to rest a little. Will you wake me up for patrol?"

"Don't worry about it, I'll do. I guess a nap is better than nothing," sighed the little red deity, way beyond worried for her chosen.

* * *

The next day at school Adrien managed without any real effort to talk to Marinette alone as she was doodling random patterns on her sketchbook with a guarded expression instead of eating her lunch like she was supposed to. She was sitting a few tables away from Alya and Nino, something that was unlike the usual Marinette he knew, but isolating herself was definitely becoming an unsettling habit of hers. What else had he overlooked over the course of the past few weeks? Knowing what she had confided in his alter-ego, it was now obvious just how much his pigtailed friend had closed up on herself.

He walked over to her, swallowing the lump in his throat, and gently placed a hand on her shoulder as he glanced at her sketchbook. "That's really pretty, you should incorporate it into an outfit. It'd look great."

The young girl jumped in her seat, knocking her pad on the ground. "A-Adrien! You-You s-scared me!"

He chuckled a little as he bent down to retrieve the precious sketchbook. "Sorry, I really didn't mean to. I was actually searching for you when I spotted you doodling all by yourself out here."

Marinette's cheeks now sported a brilliant shade of red, but the young man didn't comment on it as she stuttered. "W-Why were y-you looking for me?"

He smiled warmly, trying to put her at ease. "Well... it seems we have a friend in common... Princess?"

She blushed even deeper if it was even possible, her eyes intently riveted on the ground. "D-Don't tell me he t-told you about his f-foolish nickname for me?"

Adrien smiled sweetly. "Yeah, sorry. He dropped by the mansion yesterday evening to talk to me. He actually seemed very keen on letting me know that you were HIS princess. Is he fooling himself?"

Adrien leaned in closer to her curiously, not wanting to miss a single bit of her answer.

* * *

Marinette, however, was stunned for a second. Chat Noir wanted her? For himself? Well, that definitely was news to her. She managed to regain enough composure to offer a shy smile to Adrien and assure him. "Well, he sure hasn't discussed it with me beforehand."

"Sounds like him," he laughed, widening her tentative smile.

"What could he possibly want with you that could involve me?"

Adrien snapped back to reality at those words, not even realizing she had managed an entire sentence without stuttering. "Oh, right. He wants me to take you on a vacation."

"A-A what now?"

Marinette was truly speechless this time. Sure she felt like a huge mess, but for Chat Noir out of all the people she knew to feel the need to take care of her, she must've looked like a true mess.

Adrien didn't seem to notice the shadow in her eyes or chose to brush it off as he went on without a hitch. "However, I was already planning on spending the weekend at my dad's farmhouse. There's plenty of room, and Chat and I were thinking, if you need some time alone, it would be perfect..."

She shook her head, trying to process what was currently happening. Too much was going on right now for her to handle the information correctly. "A whole weekend? Alone with a boy? Never in a million years my parents would approve of that."

Adrien smiled at her. God, why did his smile have to be so intoxicating? It sure wasn't helping her brain functioning normally. When he answered her, his tone was a little smug, and it was obvious he was proud of himself, "A two day trip to my FATHER's countryside estate, under the direct SUPERVISION of Natalie. Plus, the house is big enough for you to not never even cross my path through the whole weekend if it's your wish."

Her head was spinning as she tried to come up with a plausible objection. "But... my parents..."

His grin widened again. "As a matter of fact, they already agreed when Natalie contacted them about it this morning. They said a break with a friend would be good for you. The only thing left was your own consent, princess."

She shuddered, admitting defeat. "Please stop calling me that, you remind me of him. And they really agreed? Without a fight?"

Adrien chuckled lightly, nervously scratching the back of his neck as she got up and gathered her things, "I guess when things are asked by Paris' most famous designer's assistant, answers are most likely to be positive. Besides, they apparently said something about me being a good boy and trusting me to look after you, so I guess that helped."

She took a step back, his scent messing with her common sense and making her unable to think clearly.

Her self-preservation instinct was telling her to decline, that everything was going way too fast for her to follow and that forty-eight hours on her own with her crush in her current state of mind couldn't possibly end well.

But her heart was yelling 'why not? Time alone with Adrien and after all YOU REALLY ARE EXHAUSTED'. Remembering the promise she had made to Tikki the previous day, along with her kwami's obvious concern at her depressed state, Marinette reached her decision.

So it's with a fiery blush on her cheeks and a stuttering so fierce Adrien had trouble figuring out what she was saying that she painfully answered him, "O-Okay t-t-t-hen. T-t-t-thanks. I-i-i-I'll b-b-b-e t-t-there."

Adrien smirked in victory. "Sweet. I'll pick you up at 7 tomorrow night. Good afternoon Mari!"

At this he gave her a quick hug and walked away, leaving a stunned Marinette in his trail. He couldn't manage to erase the triumphant smile dancing on his lips.

Alya came shortly after Adrien's abrupt departure, and instantly noticed the way her best friend was staring into nothing, hugging herself and not moving a toe, asked "Hey, you alright, girl?"

Marinette snapped out of her thoughts. "Yeah... Yeah sorry. Adrien... OH MY GOD ALYA!" she shrieked, utterly upset now, worrying her closest friend.

"What? Marinette, what happened?"

"Adrien just told me I'm gonna spend the whole weekend with him at his dad's estate. He had everything planned ahead, even my parents' agreement!"

Alya burst out laughing. "You do understand you're turning eighteen next month, right?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Her friend laughed even louder. "What kind of young ADULT lady worries about her parent's agreement when she got her ALMOST-FOUR-YEARS-LONG crush ask her to spend the WHOLE weekend with him?"

At that Marinette almost broke in hives."Oh my god, Alya, I'm gonna be alone with him! I can't do this, he'll think I'm just a stuttering and clumsy mess, he'll never want to speak to me again, oh my god, you have to help me, I think I'm gonna faint or something."

The brunette smiled warmly at her black-haired mess of a friend. "Come on, Marinette. We're going to class, and after that, we're going to pack your bag for a weekend of torrid time with the love of your life."

"ALYA!" shrieked the pigtailed girl, which only earned herself a playful nudge in the ribs from her best friend.


	4. Chapter 4: The cottage

Marinette was alone in her room, casting quick glances around herself to see if she had forgotten to pack anything essential for a two-day trip away from home. She had been relentlessly reviewing her bag for the last forty minutes and knew perfectly well she had everything she could possibly need through the weekend. She was too nervous to even think straight anymore, and she couldn't bring herself to do anything even remotely useful. But she had to keep her mind occupied to prevent herself from overthinking all of this and start freaking out. Again.

In approximately fifteen minutes Adrien would be there to pick her up.

And she'd get to spend forty-eight whole hours with him. Well. Close to him, she forced herself to correct. She had every intention of following Chat Noir's wish and getting some long overdue rest, even if it meant sleeping through the whole weekend.

As she zipped her bag for the twentieth time, she cast a curious glance at her kwami, currently busy munching on a chocolate chip cookie."Tikki, tell me the truth. Why are you freaking about me feeling a little down this much?"

The thousand-year-old deity sighed and left her snack alone, landing on top of her chosen's bag, with worry filling her blue irises. "Well. I honestly wasn't going to tell you, but a depressed Ladybug is a weakened - useless even - Ladybug. Your power takes its fuel from your positive feelings, just as the akumatized victims takes their from their negative emotions. So if you're unable to feel anything good at all it may get bad for you to the point that you won't even be able to transform anymore."

Marinette contemplated her twitching hands for a few seconds, before raising a steel-resolved glance on her little friend. "I won't let that happen. Not on my watch."

The young woman clenched her fists, her decision made right then and there.

"Don't worry Tikki, I'm going to rest this weekend, fuel up on making happy memories with Adrien, and if I don't feel any better by Monday, I'll seek some help. There's probably a way I can talk with mom and dad, or even a psychologist, without letting slip that I lead a heroic double life. I mean, I managed to explain to Chat Noir how I was feeling without him piecing it together, so..."

"That's the spirit, Marinette!" the little kwami squealed with delight. She had been really hesitant to tell Marinette about the possible consequences of depression for Ladybugs (and Chat Noir, for that matter), fearing it may add unnecessary pressure on her already very full plate, or even making her feel guilty about something she had absolutely no control upon. Now, seeing just how much her charge took the matter seriously, she was relieved she had done it. She kept forgetting that Marinette was becoming a beautiful woman, more and more mature and responsible with every day that passed.

"Does it work the same way for Chat Noir? Or does he fuel up on negative emotions, being the Miraculous holder of destruction and so on?"

Tikki smiled. "All Miraculous work the same way. It's a good magic, a white one if you may. Nooroo has been corrupted by someone with cruel intentions, that's why he now works in reverse. If – no, when we succeed in finding him and curing him, he'll be able to function on positive things again like the rest of us. Your Chat Noir needs just as much happiness in his heart as you do in order to be able to transform and use his cataclysm."

Marinette smiled, giggling in disbelief. "I really have trouble imagining that, Tikki. We are so much different from one another. I create, he destroys."

Tikki shook her head, laughing. "You both are quite complementary, Marinette. One cannot exist without the other. In fact, your fates are so deeply intertwined that through the centuries, many Ladybugs ended up falling in love with their Chat Noir. Some even had little kittens together."

"TIKKI!"

The little deity giggled, having long anticipated her charge's reaction. "That's only a historical fact! No need to jump to any conclusions! You're not only Ladybug, you're also Marinette. You're on your very own path, and that's just fine."

"You mean, that's not something that is bound to happen every time there's a new Ladybug and Chat Noir, no matter what they want?"

Tikki shook her head again. That misconception about destiny got under her skin every single time. "You still have your free will to alter your destiny, never forget that. Besides, not all Ladybugs and Chat Noirs ended up lovers. Some were siblings, other were simply best friends. On fewer occasions, either Plagg and I had badly misjudged our chosen's souls or something happened to make them unfortunately hate each other. However, you are right about something, there are similarities between all the Ladybugs and all the Chat Noirs. I tend to choose young ladies with a strong creative fiber, they get ideas more quickly with the unpredictable lucky charms. Plagg prefers tormented young lads. He likes them lonely and broken. They are thrilled to transform because that's when they feel free, happy. That's when they have someone to care for them: their partner."

Marinette's eyes widened. "Poor kitty! What a sad life to lead! I'll try to be kinder to him from now on."

"I'm sure it would mean a lot to him," Tikki answered softly, a knowing smile on her lips.

"MARINETTE! Adrien is here!" Tom's booming voice interrupted them through the floor. The young lady opened her purse for Tikki to hide inside it.

"Coming!"

She quickly grabbed her bag and rushed downstairs, nearly colliding with the young man currently busy casually chatting with her dad in the bakery.

"O-o-oh! S-s-sorry, Adrien!"

He flashed her his perfect smile threatening to turn her legs into cotton. "No problem. Are you ready to get some rest?"

She accepted his arm reluctantly, afraid that he would feel her shaking. If he did notice, he didn't show it as he opened the bakery door for her and led her outside, where the familiar silver car was waiting for them. She giggled out of sheer nervousness, but then again, he didn't pick up on it.

"T-t-thank you Adrien."

He opened the door of the car, motioning for her to climb on the passenger seat. She looked at him, surprised enough to forgo her stuttering for a second. "What? No chauffeur? That's new!"

He laughed softly. "The Gorilla is in Milan with Dad, he needed a bodyguard for a last minute event. Don't worry, I have my license! Besides, Natalie is already there, if being alone with me scares you."

"W-w-what? No!"

"Then climb on board, Mari, we have a long road ahead of us."

* * *

The beginning of their travel was spent in a comfortable silence, Adrien proving himself to be a skilled driver. Marinette had been amazed to note he was shifting gears effortlessly, keeping his eyes on the road unfolding before them. After a while, he seemed to notice she was staring, and he cast a curious glance sideways.

"Yeah?"

Marinette blushed and looked away quickly. "S-s-sorry, I didn't mean to stare. I don't know much about d-driving, but it's the first manual t-transmission I get to see from this close."

He looked at her briefly, and he smiled as he looked back at the road ahead of them. "I could teach you if you want. It's not that difficult once you understand how it works."

Her eyes widened, astonished. "You would?"

"Yeah, why not?"

She grinned. "I would like that a lot."

Adrien noticed that she was more relaxed around him all of a sudden, keeping the stuttering to a bare minimum as she looked out the window dreamily. "If you're tired, there's a pillow on the back seat. We have another two hours to go," he offered, only to have her shake her head eagerly.

"I'm okay. Besides, this is beautiful," she answered, nodding to the landscape. They had left the city some time ago and were currently surrounded by woods and fields. It did wonders to appease Marinette, and even Adrien's presence beside her was beginning to feel comfortable.

She smiled softly to herself, prompting the young man to tease her when he noticed. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Marinette looked at him, a little bit startled to have been caught. "Oh um... I was just thinking about how nice Chat Noir's idea is. I'll have to thank him, I'm already feeling a lot better."

Adrien had to remind himself that he wasn't supposed to know what was bothering her. She had talked to Chat, not him, and he would have to be mindful of his word choice if he didn't want her to figure him out right away. "Glad I can help. Are you two close friends?"

She fidgeted with her purse, looking away again. "I guess you could say that. He stops by the bakery quite often, and we sure chat a lot."

He snorted. "A kitty pun, huh? He must've rubbed on you more than you thought!"

Marinette burst out laughing heartily, a sound he hadn't got to hear often up until then. "I think you could say that. I really enjoy his company when he does drop by; he's fun to be around."

She suddenly thought about what Tikki had said. 'He likes them lonely and broken.' That saddened her to no end and Adrien seemed to instantly pick up on her sudden mood change.

"Hey, you alright Mari?"

She smiled thoughtfully. "I... I think he must be really lonely."

Her blond friend jumped at that statement, curiously eyeing her. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, sometimes when he stops by, we don't even talk. He's contented by watching me work. Other times, I have trouble getting him to shut up." She smiled tenderly. "I think he's a very lonely boy, well man by now, that just desperately needed a friend."

"He's lucky to have you then."

"I'm lucky to have him around too. I'll never tell him, though, or his ego would inflate to the point of exploding."

Adrien chuckled. "Yeah, sounds like him."

* * *

Soon after that, he pulled up in front of a cozy two-story cottage. The garden was magnificent, and the whole scene exuded a quiet atmosphere. Exiting the car, she inhaled deeply and took his offered hand. "I like it. It's beautiful."

Adrien eyed her carefully. "Listen, Marinette... there's plenty of rooms, but if you're uneasy being alone so far from home I'd understand. It's your call, you either take the farthest back, or the one next to mine. And if you want, we could hang out together, watch a movie or something?"

She smiled at him warmly. "You know what? I'm in the mood for a little bit of company after all. If you don't mind."

"The closest to mine then?"

She nodded, and he led her in with a contented smile. The cottage was a really beautiful house, warm and welcoming. The exact opposite from the mansion in Paris. Adrien seemed to pick up on her questioning. "My mother decorated here. Dad never comes here, he hates it. Says it reminds him too much of her. Therefore, he hasn't sterilized it like he did with the mansion. I like it here."

"I can see why. It's gorgeous."

The front door led to a vast living room, fully equipped with a plasma screen and two enormous sofas. The kitchen and the dining room were in the same room, oozing the same warm ambiance.

Upstairs, four bedrooms adorned in warm colors such as burgundy and navy were surrounding two spa-like bathrooms. She chose the first bedroom, while Adrien established his quarters in the next one stating it was 'his'. When she knocked on his door fifteen minutes later, she instantly understood why: while hers resembled a spare bedroom, even a hotel room, his was obviously personalized to suit his tastes. Walls were covered with Jagged Stone and video game posters, a game console was lying on the floor, and the dresser was already full of clothes. He lifted a curious eyebrow seeing the young lady on his doorstep. "Do you need anything?"

"Actually, I thought it would be nice to cook dinner together, what do you think?"

He looked embarrassed, scratching the back of his head with his left hand. "Yeah... thing is, I don't even know how to cook pasta."

Marinette laughed. "Really? We'll do a trade then: you'll teach me how to drive, I'll teach you to cook."

Adrien exited his bedroom following her to the kitchen. "You sure about that? I wouldn't eat anything I cooked, it might be dangerous."

A new-found confidence was rushing in Marinette's veins. Being away from Paris, from all her concerns did her really good. Their conversation in the car had made her finally comfortable around Adrien too, and she was enjoying every second of it. "Don't worry, I'm a good teacher."


	5. Chapter 5: Cook together

Marinette truly had a field day at the grocery store. It was very clear that it was a first experience for Adrien, who was looking perfectly lost in the various aisles, asking her many questions about different products and wondering out loud what they were about to cook together. She kept him in the dark as to what they'll be making, truly amazed by the fact that he didn't even have a single clue of what could be made out of a box of linguine, a carton of heavy cream and a block of Parmesan.

He made up for his ignorance when they reached the snack aisle grabbing enough sodas, chips and microwave popcorn to feed an army. When Adrien caught Marinette staring at his bounty in disbelief, he smiled bashfully. "I'm not often off my nutrition plan so I tend to make the most of it when I can."

She giggled sweetly and added a pack of cookies to their basket. "You forgot sweets then!"

They then headed for the checkout, Adrien stopping dead in his tracks a few feet before. "Do we want some wine with whatever it is we're making?"

She flushed bright red, slightly taken aback. "Um... y-y-es, white would be great."

"I'll be right back then," he said, quickly strolling away from her, leaving a slightly fazed Marinette behind. He was quick to return, a bottle of white wine in hand and a wide grin on his lips.

"Let's get home now so I can see you work your magic."

* * *

 ****

 **Back at the cottage, Marinette got to see first hand just how much Adrien was a novice at cooking. She'd asked him to put the pasta on to cook and very narrowly avoided a catastrophe when she noticed that he had put the pasta in the oven and was trying to find how to start it. Laughing way too much to be able to explain his mistake she removed the poor pan from the stove and instead put a large pot of water on the burner. Natalie, who was working on her laptop at the nearby kitchen table, shot a sympathetic glance at Marinette. "He never even made his cereal himself, you poor girl."**

Marinette grinned in answer. "That's okay, Nathalie, I'll just watch him more closely from now on."

Adrien was quick to chime in, pouting a little. "Hey, I'm not a child that needs supervision!"

Both women burst out laughing at that biased affirmation. "Never insinuated that, Adrien. You're just... a little bit of a neophyte, that's all."

Adrien didn't spend a lot of time moping about his blatant lack of cooking skills, deeming his time was better spent helping Marinette putting together the meal that smelled better and better by the second. He followed her instructions dutifully, smiling broadly when he got something right and listening carefully when she explained how to right what he had done wrong. Adrien had alway been a good student, and the young lady was a patient teacher eager to share her knowledge, though rather simple. Once they were done, Marinette proudly put three plates of linguine Alfredo on the table, earning herself a warm smile from Natalie. "No take-out tonight! Wow, that's new!"

The young man grinned. "Let's eat this delicious linguine a la Marinette!"

She chuckled lightly. "For the tenth time tonight Adrien, it's linguine Alfredo."

He beamed at her, his expression one of sheer pride. "Not when you made it."

They ate and talked happily about just anything ranging from the latest video game to the travels they wished to do someday, the three of them enjoying the present time. Natalie had even pushed her computer aside and was actively participating in the conversation, obviously pleased with the outcomes of the evening. The wine Adrien had chosen at the grocery store multiplied Marinette's dish flavors, making it even better than it was to even begin with. She was pretty pleased with the results herself, and her hosts couldn't seem to stop commenting on how delicious everything was.

Natalie was the first to excuse herself for the night, leaving the two young adults resuming chatting about everything and nothing at the same time, bursting into laughter every now and then. Marinette couldn't for the life of her pinpoint the exact moment something had shifted into their relationship, but something had definitely changed between the moment Adrien had shown up on her doorstep and now. And she liked it.

Once they were finished with their meal, Adrien helped Marinette with the dishes before heading to the living room with popcorn and sodas in hand. The young man put some superhero movie into the Blu-Ray player and came back to sit beside his friend on the couch. Marinette curled up in her corner of the sofa, buried under a thick blanket, watching the movie intently. She absentmindedly sipped on a steaming cup of green tea, while Adrien stuffed his face with popcorn and soda on the other end of the couch. She felt so relaxed she could have easily drifted into slumber right then and there if she had closed her eyes only for a split second.

Adrien, on the other hand, really had trouble concentrating on the movie. He couldn't exactly pinpoint why, but he had an almost uncontrollable urge to erase the distance between him and the young lady beside him. 'If I pull her closer would she mind?' he thought, swiftly followed with 'Woah, where did that come from?' The movie eventually came to an end and released the poor man from his inner turmoil... or so he thought.

Marinette got up gracefully, went to put away her empty cup, and with the most beautiful smile he had ever seen in his life she wished him good night and disappeared to her room leaving him bemused. 'I wonder what those lips taste like- Wait. What's wrong with me?'

* * *

Back in her room Marinette lay down on her bed, savoring the almost perfect silence in her room. She felt incredibly serene, her heart at peace, the constant nagging at the back of her mind almost gone. If someone had told her that all she needed to remove the unbearable pressure from her shoulders was a weekend away from her duties alone with Adrien, she would have deemed them utterly crazy and ready for the asylum.

And yet, Chat Noir's completely irrational idea seemed to work like a charm.

She really would have to thank him properly for making it happen. She didn't know what came over him to organize such an escapade, but she truly was grateful, for it helped her to finally feel like herself again. Something she didn't even think possible anymore.

She was even able to talk with Adrien without feeling like a huge failure or a sorry mess for a change.

That's when it hit her.

The reason why she was so comfortable around Adrien despite her ever-present feelings for him, the reason why her stuttering had faded, was because she didn't think about them at all. She had finally stopped overthinking every single word she was saying to him in fear of what he might think of her. She was only enjoying the moment, being herself, without scheming their future fairy tale like she used to. Getting to know him better was also doing marvels to get him down the pedestal she had put him on and made him much less intimidating. He was still the kind, selfless and adorable boy she had fallen for, but he was also a sweet dork with a few flaws to show for himself.

And if she were to be completely honest with herself, she had to admit she liked this new aspect of her relation with Adrien very much. Talking with him, getting to know him and actually enjoying his company instead of panicking and focusing on not saying anything stupid... it made her wonder if it was really worth the pain at all.

Sure, Adrien would always hold a very special place in her heart. After all, loving someone this much for so long was bound to leave ineffaceable marks on one's soul.

But she didn't want to wait for it to happen anymore. She didn't want to be that silly love struck school girl anymore.

She felt ready to finally let go.

* * *

In the next bedroom, Adrien had a very different reality check. He was pacing around in his room, trying to figure out what was wrong with him.

"Plagg, why can't I stop thinking about her?"

The black and whiny deity lifted an indifferent eyebrow. "About who now?"

The young man buried his hands in his hair. "Mari... Plagg, how come in the past four years I never felt this way around her? Nothing changed! I don't even understand myself right now."

The kwami rolled on his back, looking quite pleased with himself. "You changed. She changed. You're not kids anymore."

"Aaaaargh... that doesn't help me at all. What am I supposed to do?"

Find me some cheese? A great camembert would be nice."

Adrien glared at him. "NOT HELPING."

He felt his phone buzz in his back pocket and checked it out knowing it would be Nino. Chloe was mad at him because he forgot to notice her brand new purse (the sixth one this month) so she was leaving him in peace for the time being. He toyed with the idea of telling her he was alone with Marinette at his father's countryside house, wondering if it'd buy him a few more weeks without her constant nagging.

[21:12] Nino: Hey man. How u doing?]

The young man sighed loudly. It was perfectly useless to try to hide these things from his best friend, he would figure it out one way or another eventually. He went for honesty:

[21:14] Adrien: Going crazy dude. SOS.

True to himself, the young DJ wasted no time answering.

[21:15] Nino: What's up?

[21:15] Adrien: Can't stop thinking about her. Mari.

Seeing those words displayed on the screen made them seem even more real if it was possible. He got up to look out the window, waiting impatiently for his friend's reply.

He could almost picture the puzzled expression on Nino's face by this point.

[21:17] Nino: What about Ladybug?

Adrien's fingers went crazy on the little keyboard. There were so many thoughts all at once in his mind that he had trouble organizing them:

[21:18] Adrien: I know, so fucked up right now. Mari smiled at me when she left, and I can't stop thinking about her lips now. I think I'm gonna go mad. I wanna kiss her so bad. Cannot think about anything else.

His eyes widened when he saw the answer flashing on his screen:

[21:18] Nino: About time.

[21:19] Adrien: WTF?

The next message did nothing to calm him down.

[21:20] Nino: U have liked her since day one. Like, even Chloe noticed.

[21:21] Adrien: What? No!

Did he, now?

[21:24] Nino: Dude. U smile like an idiot every time she would smile/laugh/talk/trip/move/breath. To be more obvious u'd have to wear a sign over ur head.

[21:25] Adrien: That much?

[21:27] Nino: Go get her.

Adrien put down his phone, a little bit stunned by the whole ordeal. He had expected his pal to knock some sense into him, telling him that he couldn't pine over both Ladybug and Marinette, that he had not a glimmer of hope to be with Marinette whatsoever. But there, he didn't. He seemed very supportive to say the least, and not a bit surprised by the sudden confession of the young model. Why was Nino so enthusiastic about all this? Did he know something he himself wasn't aware of? He picked up his device once again to try and pry some information from Nino when he heard a loud thud outside, quickly followed by a screeching scream.

[21:27] Adrien: FUCK BRB

Plagg stirred lazily on the pillow. "I guess my nap is over?"

Adrien wasted no time, worried sick for the girl in the next bedroom. "Sorry. Plagg, CLAWS OUT."

With a green flash, he was out the window.


	6. Chapter 6: The Gardener

As soon as she heard the ruckus outside, Marinette had cast a worried glance at her kwami, who had looked just as much unsettled than she was. How in the world was it possible for an akuma to strike so far from Paris? The fact that it happened so close to her current location when she was so far away from home seemed to stretch the limits of probability a bit too much to be shaken off as a mere coincidence. An uneasy feeling pooling in her gut, Marinette crossed the room and leaned on the windowsill, trying to get a glimpse of her next foe. The idea that Hawkmoth might know her identity and had grabbed the oportunity she had foolishly handed him on a silver platter to strike while she was separated from her partner briefly brushed her mind, and it wasn't a pleasant notion at all. Ignoring the worry clenching her stomach, she nodded at her silent kwami, very aware that they had a fight to get through, no matter how much she was terrified of doing it without Chat Noir. She was about to transform when a hand appeared in front of her and furiously knocked on her window, startling her out of her skin. Her eyes met a familiar pair of glowing green irises outside the glass, his usual goofy grin missing on his face. Being careful to hide the relief that washed over her at his unexpected appearance, she hastily opened the window as quietly as she could, hoping Adrien wouldn't hear anything suspicious, intending to let the hero in. He, however, did not make a move toward her, instead gently cupping her cheek with a leather-gloved hand, his gaze full of worry he didn't even tried to mask.

"Chat? What are you doing here?" she hiccuped, her surprise taking the best of her. He sighed in answer, his thumb gently stroking the side of her cheek before retreating to grab his staff.

"I just wanted to make sure you were safe. There's an akuma outside, please, please stay hidden until I come back."

"But-" she tried to interject, but he had already turned his back on her and vaulted himself into the night, leaving her perplexed and concerned.

* * *

After checking on Marinette quickly, Chat Noir landed square in the middle of the neighbor's garden and very nearly avoided a giant watering hose nastily lunging to trip him. With a jump that cruelly lacked his usual grace and agility, he hopped over the now-living gardening tool and took a minute to examine the menacing beast. It was moving the same way a giant snake would, and he had absolutely no doubt the akumatized person controlling it wouldn't hesitate a second to choke him to death should she get the chance to. Speaking of which, standing over them both was a rather enlarged version of his elder neighbor, Ms. Lambert, dressed with a patchwork dress, her usual straw hat planted on her head, yellowish hair poking everywhere under it like a haystack, and gardening tools hanging from a leather belt loosely tied around her hips. A black rose was carefully pinned on her hat.

'That must be where the akuma is. Now, how will I manage to get it without Ladybug? How will I cure it-HEY THAT HURTS.' His rambling train of thoughts was suddenly interrupted by a rose shot rather violently at him, scratching his left arm pretty badly in the process.

"The fuck? What are those flowers made of? Razorblades?' he mused briefly, before bracing himself for the fight. Chat pounced and leaped, all over the place at once, somehow managing to avoid the snake-like hose trying to tie him up and the steel-like flowers flying everywhere.

"What's your deal, Flowergirl? Not enough catnip or what?" he spat angrily, his usual laid-back demeanor long forgotten.

The akumatized person roared with anger, howling, "I'M THE GARDENER! I'M GONNA SHOW YOU WHAT'S AN AWARD WORTHY FLOWER! BUT FIRST, YOUR MIRACULOUS WILL DO!"

"This is really getting old, Hawkmoth," the feline answered harshly, before using his baton to vault himself into the air, grabbing her hat as he passed over his old neighbor. This made her inflate disproportionately with anger and stomp her foot on the ground sending a slew of steel flowers flying everywhere in the neighborhood. His attention diverted by avoiding getting sliced up by their overly sharp stems, he couldn't help but drop the hat, which the Gardener hastily retrieved and secured back on her head. Chat Noir warily eyed the deadly damage those damned plants had successfully made around them, cutting right through the walls of the neighboring houses like they were made of mere butter.

'Shit, I hope this doesn't wound anybody. MARINETTE. Shit, shit, shit,' he thought, absolutely panicked. He had to get his akuma, and fast. Before he could reassess the situation and come up with a suitable plan, something red flashed before him and landed beside him.

"Need a hand, Kitty?"

Relief almost drowned him as it washed over him and he got back up on his feet, ready to fight, "Can't say I would mind a paw, m'lady. I think I just lost a few of my nine lives. The akuma's in the flower."

Ladybug shrugged, swirling her yoyo by her hip in a defensive manner. "Figured. Distract her."

"As usual, bugaboo. Game on."

They fought for a good twenty minutes before they managed to actually make progress. Chat Noir's cataclysm was well spent on disintegrating the garden hose that was busy choking Ladybug, while Ladybug's lucky charm provided them with a bottle of herbicide the leather-clad hero used to effectively destroy the steel flowers and distract the Gardener with his playful banter long enough for Ladybug to get the straw hat without her noticing and release the akuma from the blackened rose. With a trained flick of her yo-yo, the black butterfly was purified at last and everything in the neighborhood went back to its previous state.

Chat Noir approached the sobbing silhouette of his old neighbor quietly crying on the ground, as he always did.

"My flower was the prettiest, the most perfect. I should have won that contest."

He helped her up, gently patting her back. "Don't worry lady, your flowers are magnificent. Surely you'll win next time, that's for sure."

The old lady smiled weakly at him. "Thank you, young man, you are very kind. I-I think I'll go to bed now. I'm so tired..."

Once he was sure that she was safe and sound in her home, Chat Noir went back to his lady who was sitting on a large rock and inspecting her left arm with a frown upon her beautiful face.

When she realized he was already back she quickly draped her hand over the wound, but he had gotten plenty of time to catch a glimpse of it before she did. "You got hurt, m'lady?"

She waved him off with a dry laugh, flinching away from him. "Just a scratch. Nothing to worry about."

Chat Noir frowned, closing the distance between them. "Why hasn't your Mew-raculous healed it? Was something wrong with your lucky charm?"

She looked away, hoping he would drop the case."What are you even doing here, Chat? Aren't we a little bit far away from Paris for you to come running and save the day, alley cat?"

He shrugged, not even bothering to craft a complicated lie. "Visiting relatives. What about you?"

"Same."

He tried to approach her again, to no avail. His lady was already up on her feet and ready to wrap her yo-yo around a tree. "Well, I'm sure glad we got to clear that up, Chat. Goodnight."

"LADYBUG, WAIT-"

She was already swinging away, out of earshot. Well, he still had to check on Marinette before going back to bed, so his partner's odd behavior would have to wait until their next patrol, or the next akuma, whichever came first. Shrugging in defeat, he extended his staff to make his way back to the house, now equally concerned for both his lady and his princess.

* * *

 ****

 **Marinette made it back to her room just in time to hastily detransform and put a thick sweater on before her partner loudly knocked on her window for the second time that night. The young woman had fully expected him to head straight for her as soon as he left the fight, so she had hurried back as much as she could. She opened the glass panel again, trying to muster a believable look of worry and genuine concern on her face. "Is it gone? Did you purify it?"He let himself into the room without waiting to be invited, and he pulled her to his chest, wrapping his arms around her into a tight hug. He didn't care what she would think of the odd gesture, he had been worried sick for her safety ever since the Gardener had started throwing those deadly flowers around. He had seen a few of them coming toward his house, and who knows what they could've done to her should've she been unlucky enough to find herself in their trajectory.**

"C-Chat, you're strangling me!" she croaked against the leather of his suit.

He drew back regretfully, and sat on her bed, unable to hide his relief from her. "I'm sorry, princess, I got carried away. I'm just really happy to see you didn't get hurt in the whole ordeal. I was going mad with worry out there."

She sat beside him, dearly hoping that the gash on her arm wasn't bleeding enough under the sweater to visibly seep through the fabric before his departure. "What was all this fuss about?"

"The neighbor got akumatized. She was mad she had lost at some gardening contest. Started using her garden hose as a giant python and throwing around flowers as sharp as razor blades. I was really worried some would get to you and wound you, princess."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. It was clear the concern in his eyes was genuine and sincere. "What about you, Kitty, are you okay?"

He carefully inspected his suit, even if he had already known the answer beforehand. "Yeah, I guess I got out of it unscathed. I got pretty badly scratched at the beginning of the fight, but Ladybug fixed me up along with everything else."

'Ah! Cue to look surprised!' Marinette thought, then put her acting skills to the test: "Ladybug? You brought her along?"

"No, but-" His ring suddenly beeped loudly, interrupting him mid-sentence."Sorry, princess, gotta go."

Stepping out the window he seemed to ponder something for a split second before leaning back in and beckoning her to come closer. When she did, intrigued at his odd attitude, the blond pulled her closer and quickly planted a soft peck on her cheek before disappearing into the night, leaving behind a stunned Marinette.

She felt her skin tingle pleasantly where his lips had touched it, and she instinctively reached to touch her face with the tip of her fingers.

He had kissed her cheek.

And if she had to be perfectly honest with herself, it had made her belly turn into an extreme roller coaster.

'What the hell is wrong with me now?' she thought bitterly before remembering she had a wound to tend to. With slow and careful movements, the young woman removed the sweater, wincing in pain as the fabric unglued itself from the cut. Sure enough, it was soaked with her blood, and some fibers had gotten stuck in the wound. Of course, it was just her luck that she had to get hurt before she had transformed. It would have been way too easy otherwise, being healed by her Miraculous just like Chat had been. But no. She had had to go and get that huge gash on her arm as Marinette, and then cure everything as Ladybug. Just her luck.

"Great..."

A soft knock on her door startled her.

"Even greater..." she grunted before opening the door, knowing fairly well she had no real excuse to stall.


	7. Chapter 7: Certainly not nothing

When Marinette reluctantly opened the door she was greeted with the sight of a very disheveled and restless Adrien. He had dirt on his cheek and dried blood on his right sleeve.

"What the hell happened to you?" she shrieked, his disastrous appearance shooting raw concern through her veins. He looked like he had just been to hell and back. The blond didn't answer right away, instead taking a brief but scrutinizing look at her before hastily stepping into her room with a deep frown spread on his beautiful face. He reached for her wounded arm without skipping a single beat, his lips harboring a concerned grimace.

"Marinette, you're hurt!"

She instinctively wrapped her hand over the cut to hide it from plain view, shaking her head with a small smile she wished was convincing enough to get him off her case.

"It's nothing, don't worry. How did you get hurt?"

Adrien merely shrugged, his expression remaining serious. "I got caught in the crossfire when I got out to see what all the noises were about. I'm fine, though, Ladybug patched me up when she released her cleansing spell. Mari, show me your arm."

The young lady audibly gulped, clutching her arm to her chest in a defensive stance. "It's nothing," she repeated. "I'll take care of it."

The shadow in her voice gave her away, and his tightly clenched jaw told her without a doubt that he wasn't buying her way-too-weak lie even one bit. He lunged forward and grabbed her hand without waiting for her consent and began closely inspecting the wide wound. The tender flesh of her inner forearm was cut open in a pretty deep gash almost six inches long. Adrien sighed and turned his back to her hastily. "This is most certainly not nothing, Marinette. I'll be right back."

Before she could even react or say anything, he had left the room, leaving a stunned and wounded Marinette in his trail.

* * *

In their adjoining bathroom, Adrien was busy fumbling to find the first aid kit in the cupboard while Plagg kept pestering him with an odd smirk on his cat-like face. "Hey, kid, did you see that wound?"

The blond sighed deeply, rolling his green eyes, "Yeah, I did. It's a pretty ugly cut that really needs tending to as soon as possible. That's why I'm looking for a first aid kit, remember?" answered the young man impatiently.

"It looks very much like the wound Ladybug lamely tried to hide from you, if you ask me."

Adrien sighed harshly. "Good thing then nobody's asking you. I know where you're going with this. Marinette can't be Ladybug, Plagg."

The black kwami snorted in disbelief. "How can you explain the very similar wounds then?"

"Pure coincidence," the young man said, shrugging.

"What was Ladybug even doing here, Adrien? Explain that to me then. It's a four-hour drive from Paris."

Certainty was beginning to waver inside the blond model, but he sure wasn't going to let it show to his kwami. His voice as assured as he could make it, he answered. "She said she was visiting relatives."

Plagg suddenly looked bored out of his mind. "And you believe her?"

"Why not? She hasn't given me any reason to doubt her, Plagg."

The black kwami surrendered. Adrien was either blind or purposely ignoring the evidence laid before him.

"Whatever you say. Can I get cheese now? I'm famished."

"LATER."

The young man slammed the cupboard door closed, startling his little friend with his sudden rush of aggression.

"Kid, what's gotten into you?"

Adrien's forehead was resting against the cupboard, and his fists were tightly clenched at his sides. When his spoke, his voice was weak, broken. "Marinette got hurt because of me. I was targeted and she got hurt."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"How else can you explain that an akuma struck that far from Paris, ever so conveniently just as I was supposed to be separated from my partner?"

"Chat Noir's famous bad luck?" tried the black deity, only to be met with an empty stare and still-clenched fists.

Adrien's voice was barely above a whisper, and the little kwami had to pay close attention to make words out of what his charge was saying. "The only plausible explanation I can come up with is that Hawkmoth somehow has figured out who I am. So he tried to get me without Ladybug when I was supposed to be weakened."

Plagg shook his head warily, not too keen on letting his wielder harbor so many heavy emotions all at once. "Nonsense. If Hawkmoth's actions so far have taught us something about his ways, it's that he's ready to do absolutely anything to get your miraculouses. If he really knew your identity, he wouldn't hesitate to attack the manor at any given time."

Adrien had crossed his arms over his chest in a defensive stance, his green and usually warm eyes still unable to meet his kwami's. "How do you explain this stupid mess then? Where did that akuma come from?"

The god of destruction rolled his eyes yet again, growing increasingly annoyed at the situation. "It could be anything, honestly, even something as stupid as either of you unknowingly brought an akuma along in your luggage, or one got stuck in the vent of your car."

"Wait, what?" Adrien suddenly felt like his brain was spinning. Plagg either didn't care or didn't consider it a motive enough to slow down, as he resumed.

"Considering the hefty number of akumas Hawkmoth has unleashed on you upon these past four years, I wouldn't be surprised in the least if he had lost track of a few of them. It happened before, way before the butterfly miraculous was corrupted. Akumas are sentient beings after all, like real-life butterflies, if you will. When they are pure, they are drawn to positive emotions like moths are drawn to a flame and they give them a boost. There are records of them helping with many proposals, war feats of strength and so on. That's probably what happened with your neighbor, but with a stray corrupted akuma instead."

"But-" the young man tried to interrupt, but his kwami was quicker and wiser.

"You're absolutely not to blame in any way, kid. Your friend's injury is merely an unfortunate casualty. Can I have my camembert now?"

"I said later, Plagg. Marinette needs me right now."

He left the bathroom hastily, leaving a rather puzzled kwami behind. When did his chosen finally notice his pigtailed friend?

* * *

Unbeknownst to Adrien, Marinette was currently having a very similar chat with her very own kwami. Once they had cleared the air about the fact that no, none of this mess was her doing, and that no, Hawkmoth most likely was none the wiser about her secret identity (otherwise he would've targeted the bakery long ago), the young lady had finally agreed to try and calm down, waiting on Adrien's upcoming return. She nervously sat on the edge of her bed, against her will admitting defeat toward him bandaging her wound. She knew very well the cut was rather deep and most likely needed stitches, but she had genuinely hoped nobody would notice it.

Tending to it on her own would have been much less of a hassle, even if her inexperience in this field was fairly complicating the matter. Still, stitching skin couldn't be that different from sewing fabric, right? Given her lack of skills and the fact she would have had to use only her right hand, the wound would probably have left a rather nasty scar, but she couldn't bring herself to mind it the slightest.

Considering her hero duties as Ladybug and her and Chat Noir's constant fighting against new villains, it was something she had genuinely been expecting to happen sooner or later. The akumas were growing stronger than ever before, and releasing them was becoming harder every time. It was bound to mark her body in one way or another at some point. So far she had been lucky, getting away with light scratches and mere bruises, but Marinette was perfectly aware that she was stretching her luck beyond its limits. She knew Chat Noir enough to be sure he wouldn't ever mind a bit if her body was left marked by their countless battles since his was probably far more bruised and beaten than hers. And Adrien, well, he'd simply have to put up with it if they were to become intimate in any way someday, something she was starting to deem less and less likely to ever happen.

She suddenly stopped her rambling train of thoughts, shocked with the rather unexpected direction they had taken. What the hell was she thinking? She raised a very confused look at Tikki, that had risked an eye out of her hideaway as they both were waiting for Adrien to come back. "Are you okay, Marinette?"

The young lady sighed in defeat. "Yes, no... I think I'll be. I'm just... confused I guess."

Her little friend gave her a curious look. "About what?"

Marinette looked away, a dark blush spreading on her cheeks. "I keep thinking really strange things about Chat Noir. Like how he wouldn't mind that much if I get a scar or two."

Her kwami chuckled softly. "I'm pretty sure he wouldn't mind, indeed. Actually, he might find you even more beautiful for them."

"TIKKI!" Marinette smiled sadly as her kwami went back to sleep in her open purse after casting her a sly grin. She wished she could do the same, just climb into bed and sleep away her choking worries. But Adrien had definitely seen the wound, there was no way for her to back out of that. Now, she would have to come up with a plausible excuse, an explanation for why her arm had been sliced open, and she had dearly been hoping to avoid that. Truth be told, her problem could've been way bigger than it currently was. At least her partner was the only one on Earth who was aware that Ladybug had been injured in the encounter, so Adrien blissfully wouldn't be able to connect the otherwise very obvious dots.

Still, she wasn't very warm to the idea of finding a way to explain to him how exactly a flying steel flower had unfortunately mistaken her forearm for some Christmas ham as she was getting ready to transform on the windowsill. Chat Noir had specifically asked her to remain hidden and safe inside the room, and she had so bluntly disobeyed that it could only bring her troubles with the black-clad hero if it were to reach his apparently ubiquitous magic ears.

This stirred another, rather painful and unwelcome thought into her swirling mind: she would have to somehow keep Chat Noir away from her until her cut was completely healed. It was way too dangerous to even consider otherwise given that he had seen the wound on Ladybug's arm, that she was very certain of, and though he was many things stupid wasn't one of them. He would put two and two together in the blink of an eye, and her secret would be exposed.

Nonetheless, it pained her to no end to know that she'd have to keep the kitty away from her for a few weeks. She already missed him, even if she was desperately trying to ignore this feeling.

* * *

When Adrien finally did return, first aid kit in hand, Marinette was looking on the verge of tears. He shot a glance at her worriedly. "Hey, you gonna be okay? Does it hurt that bad?"

She grimaced, unwillingly flinching from him. "I-I think you were right, after all, it's a little more than nothing. It won't stop bleeding no matter how hard I try."

He kneeled before her, pushing away the inappropriate thoughts her proximity stirred in his mind. Right now she needed care, not dealing with the twisted mind of a hormonal young lad who longed to kiss her passionately instead of bandaging her injured arm. Honestly, what was wrong with him all of a sudden?

"I think you might need some stitches. It's a pretty bad cut, Mari," Adrien heard himself saying as he kept trying to reign in his wild thoughts.

His friend sniffled softly, and he felt her shudder under his fingers. "Do you think I can do without? I really don't like hospitals."

He smiled reassuringly, patting her hand absentmindedly as he reached for the first aid kit. "Don't worry. It's your lucky day. For some obscure reason, first aid is among the things Father deemed necessary to my well-being as a teenager. I'm sorry, this'll probably hurt a bit, but I'll be gentle as I can."

True to his words, Adrien cleaned the wound thoroughly before stitching her up with a steady and somewhat tender hand, making her wince in pain once or twice at most. He then washed the blood from the rest of her arm, put a generous amount of healing cream on the now closed wound, and bandaged the injured limb carefully. She examined him while he worked, amazed by the way his features seemed to relax when he was concentrated on the task at hand. His shoulders weren't as tense they usually were, there was a newfound softness in his gaze she had never seen before. Like he had dropped some kind of facade. When he was finally done he patted her gently on the shoulder, offering her a soft smile. "You're gonna have to change the bandage daily for a week or so. I'll show you how tomorrow. If you want, I'll remove the stitches next Saturday."

Marinette blushed lightly as she nodded shyly, realizing he had caught her staring at him.

He didn't seem bothered by it tough, still smiling gently and adding, "Now, you should go and rest. It's been a rough night for both of us. I'll leave painkillers on your bedside table. See you tomorrow?"

She nodded again wordlessly, before climbing a bit too obediently into her bed, digging herself under the blankets. Adrien hadn't even finished putting away the first aid kit when he heard her breathing deepening significantly, indicating that she had fallen fast asleep.

"Rough night, huh?" he chuckled lightly. He couldn't help himself but press a brief but definitely there kiss on her temple before quietly exiting her room, carefully closing the door behind him.

He didn't get much sleep that night, images of a black-haired young woman replacing those of a black-and-red-dotted heroine swirling in his confused mind.


	8. Chapter 8: Star gazing

The remainder of their weekend was quiet and peaceful, just like Chat Noir had hoped it would be. She got up in the early afternoon on Sunday, gracefully accepting Adrien's gentle teasing on her tardiness. They cooked together some more, the young man proving himself to be an avid student on the matter, and the smile he graced her with when he got his very first cake ever out of the oven amply compensating the mess they had had to clean in the kitchen in Marinette's eyes. Just like he had promised her he would on Saturday night, Adrien taught her how to clean up her wound and redo her bandaging, Marinette paying close attention to his instructions in case something similar happened again in the future. They ate a light dinner after playing some videogames, and the time to leave to get back to Paris eventually came. Natalie had already left somewhere along the afternoon, so Marinette found herself alone with her friend again.

Which she dreaded, because she had felt some sort of wall between them all day. Something slightly off that wasn't there the day before.

Sure enough, the blond was the same funny, kind and selfless boy he had been the day before, and the stuttering hadn't reared its ugly head back, but his expression was kind of guarded around her all of a sudden. The four-hour drive back home was spent in an awkward and heavy silence, the uneasy feeling Marinette felt lingering between them tying knots in her stomach. Had she said something out of line? Was he mad she had gotten hurt? Just her luck that when their friendship finally progressed, he would clam up on himself without any explanation. Her tentative attempts at small talk were met with short and concise answers, and she eventually gave up, instead focusing on the landscapes they went through and trying to sort out her new found affections toward her favorite black cat.

Adrien wasn't faring that much better, his head swirling in full spin as he kept trying to focus entirely on the road instead of letting his wandering mind bringing his thoughts all over the place. Part of him kept wondering if it was too soon to make a move on Marinette, if there was a slight chance his pretty friend would ever consider giving him a chance, romantically speaking. The part of his brain that still was thinking clearly was busy scolding him for getting infatuated with yet another blue-eyed girl so soon after finally putting an end to his four-years long painful pining after his partner. Feeling like he was going to drown in his out-of-hand thoughts at any given second, the young man didn't trust his tongue to form coherent words. To his utter horror, Adrien heard himself answer her prompts with mere grunts and monosyllables, relief washing over him when she finally sighed and rested her forehead on the car window, obviously having decided she was done with talking.

Adrien ultimately dropped her off at the bakery in the late evening. He helped her get her bag from the trunk, and with a light parting peck on her cheek, he was gone. Soon after his car has disappeared around the curb, Tikki shot out of Marinette's purse, her little arms defiantly crossed over her chest. "Don't you think it was weird, Marinette?"

Her hand covering the cheek he had kissed with a soft frown on her face, the young lady snapped her attention back at her kwami. "What now?"

"How much of a hurry he was in to leave," Tikki said as it was the most obvious thing in the world. Her chosen merely shuddered in answer.

"He probably had places to be, no need to make a fuss out of it. Honestly, what's weirder is... He kissed my cheek, and I'm not freaking out."

"If you say so, Marinette. I still think something's bothering him."

* * *

Adrien was pacing around his room restlessly, almost pulling his hair out of indecision. "Plagg, what do I do now? I just can't forget her."

The destructive kwami smiled slyly as he helped himself to another serving of cheese. "How could you, knowing she's going to be sitting right in front of you every single day at school?"

The young man groaned audibly, looking pensively through his window. "I should check on her. I almost ran away from her earlier."

"Adrien, it's late, and you have school tomorrow. Besides, you saw her like, fifteen minutes ago," countered his kwami, hoping to avoid a useless transformation. Sadly for him, his charge didn't get the clue.

"I did, but Chat Noir didn't. I bet she's expecting him to drop by, she did say she wanted to thank him for the weekend."

Plagg shook his little head disapprovingly. "It's not going to end well, Adrien. You really shouldn't pursue her on both fronts. What do you want? A real relationship with her or only stolen kisses on the rooftops at night?"

The deity knew fairly well that his chosen wasn't listening to him, but he had to try and knock some sense into him. He could see the disaster only waiting to happen from a thousand miles away. "How do you think she'll react when she figures out who you really are? And that you were suspecting she was Ladybug before pursuing her?"

Adrien looked at his kwami defiantly, crossing his arms over his chest. "She can't possibly be Ladybug, Plagg. I told you that already."

"And why's that?"

The young man let out a long, desperate sigh, sitting on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands. "I simply don't deserve her to be."

Now, Plagg looked nothing but completely puzzled. "What the heck are you saying now? Did that gardener knock your head too hard with a watering can or something?"

"If she were to be my lady, which she isn't, it would solve everything. The two girls I like being wrapped into one wonderful girl. I honestly don't think I deserve that kind of miracle."

"I thought you said you were over Ladybug?" prompted Plagg in disbelief.

Adrien seemed to ponder the question for a second or two before speaking softly. "I have loved her for the past four years, Plagg. I don't think these feelings are going to disappear in a matter of weeks. But to think it's never going to happen... It hurts way less than it used to. I mean, some part of me always knew my lady wouldn't ever see me as anything more than a silly kitty... But maybe, maybe, with Marinette, I have a chance to be appreciated for who I truly am, you know?"

As far from his understanding red counterpart as one kwami could get, the black blob rolled his green eyes and spat, "Stop belittling yourself, Adrien. Get me some Camembert instead, now that would be something useful to do with your time."

"I have to see her. The cheese is going to have to wait."

"Adrien, tried to reason the kwami, think it over before-"

"Plagg, claws out."

* * *

He landed on her terrace a few minutes later, still not knowing exactly what he was going to do. Surely, the most sensible thing to do would be to find some way to push her into Adrien's arms? Maybe he should first figure out the right way to get to her heart? He was utterly clueless, but he couldn't shake the urge to see her. He really wasn't proud of the way he had dropped her off at the bakery earlier that day and felt he really had to make up for it. Back then, he had had so much trouble refraining himself from kissing her right there on the spot in his car, all manners be damned, that he hadn't even managed to formulate a coherent goodbye toward her.

So he hadn't said anything at all. And he was disgusted with himself for it, afraid he had already jeopardized his blossoming friendship with the shy designer.

Squinting his eyes to peek through her window, the feline hero tried to spot his dear princess to see how she was faring without her knight in shining armor. The green irises instantly zeroed on her, sitting at her work table, her back turned to him and somewhat stiff as she was busy stitching some project of hers. He could see her slender fingers moving swiftly and expertly on some blackish fabric, without a doubt a new marvel of hers in the making. Grinning, he knocked softly on the glass, startling her only a little bit. Turning around in her chair, she flashed him a brilliant smiled and got up gracefully. She closed the distance between them with eager strides, grabbed something on her sofa and came to unlock the skylight.

"Chat!" she greeted him with warmth in her tone, one that left a pleasant feeling in his heart. His friend was genuinely happy to see him, and it pleased him to no end.

He smiled right back at her, sheer happiness rushing in his veins. "Hey there, purrrrincess. Did you miss me?"

She laughed heartily, depositing whatever it was she was holding on the ground beside him and wrapping her arms around him in a tight but still chaste hug. "You? Yes, I did. Your lame and idiotic puns? Not in a million years."

He flinched, even though he was still smiling broadly, hoping with all his might that she wouldn't notice the fiery blush he felt spreading on his cheeks. "Mewouch. That hurts, princess."

She grinned at him, gesturing to the package she had retrieved from her sofa. "Come on, silly kitty. I have hot chocolate in a thermos and a thick blanket. Would you happen to be in the mood for some star gazing?"

Laughing at his eager nod, Marinette pulled herself onto the floor of her balcony, her back pressed to the stone wall. The cold winter weather provided her with an excuse for the thick long sleeved sweater she was wearing to hide her wound from her friend, and she was grateful that he didn't seem to find it odd. She wrapped her legs in the blanket and motioned for him to sit beside her.

He happily obliged, sitting shoulder to shoulder beside her, surprise written all over his face. "That's something new, princess. You usually aren't eager to go outside in the cold that much."

She smiled softly at him as she poured hot chocolate in a bright colored mug, which she handed him. "I thought it would be nice to shake things up a little. I know how much you love it out there, and I still have to thank you properly for the little stunt you pulled on me this weekend."

He took the beverage she was giving him and chuckled lightly as he took a sip of the sugary liquid. "What stunt? I barely even did anything!"

She served herself and pushed the thermos aside, warming her fingers on her mug while resting her head casually on Chat's shoulder. "Still. That was very nice of you to arrange this weekend for me. It really did me good, and this is my special thank you for taking care of me: chatting on your beloved rooftops instead of my pink horror movie creepy room."

He burst out laughing at that. "I didn't mean that! It's just, well... too... pink!"

* * *

His proximity was messing with her head.

She shifted slightly against him, almost imperceptibly, closing the distance even further between their bodies. The young man took that as his cue to wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her somewhat even closer. She barely suppressed a sigh of contentment.

To say she was comfortable in his hold would be quite an understatement.

They had been cuddling like that for a while on the terrace, neither of them daring to move a single muscle when Chat Noir finally gathered the courage to ask her what was really on his mind. "Can I ask you a very personal question, princess?"

She looked at him quizzically, silently mourning the loss of his touch as she had had to pull away from him in order to do so. "Try me."

He shifted slightly beside her, obviously uneasy. "What's going on between you and the Agreste kid?"

Marinette sighed, fixing her gaze on the horizon. Chat was quick to retreat, feeling the air thickening between them. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked, it's none of my busi-"

"I honestly don't know, Chat," she cut him off. Her voice was soft, somewhat resigned.

That surprised him deeply, and all he could manage to answer was a weak, "Oh?"

She laughed. "Yeah, it's weird. I know. I mean, I've been waiting for so long for something to happen, crushing on him so hard... And all for nothing. As far as I know he never looked at me that way. All I have managed to do is missing out on years of friendship with him. And now, I'm not so sure about my feelings toward him anymore."

"Why's that?" Chat choked, not trusting his voice with long sentences.

She blushed deeply. "I-I-I... Well. S-Someone else managed to wiggle his way into my heart."

* * *

Chat Noir painfully felt his heart drop in his chest.

She had been in love with him, at least with his civilian self, apparently for a while by then, and he had been too blind and stupid to notice it and act on it in time. Now that he had finally freed his heart from its hopeless longing after his lady and had let himself fall head over heels for his cute and shy classmate, it was already too late. He had lost her to someone else before even getting a real chance to really know her.

She smiled softly, unaware of his inner turmoil, nudging him gently in the ribs. "What about you, flirty kitty? Still desperately pining after a spotted superheroine?"

His eyes darkened slightly, and he audibly gulped as he looked away. "She'll always hold a special spot in my heart. I've been madly in love with her ever since I first laid eyes on her... But she never returned the feeling and made hers quite clear. I never minded that much, though, I was content happy simply having her as a partner..."

Marinette tried to hide her surprise from him. She had always known that Chat Noir had a silly crush on Ladybug, but she had never suspected that his feelings actually ran way deeper than that.

He went on, not noticing the weird expression on Marinette's face. "But lately I've been... thinking an awful lot about a close friend of mine. If I could, if I had the nerve, I would..."

His gaze wandered with a will of its own, fixing itself on her pink, plump lips. He unconsciously licked his suddenly dry lips, lost in his vagabonding thoughts, unable to focus back on the conversation. Marinette noticed he was oddly staring at her, and found herself staring back, wondering what kissing him would taste like. The rational part of her brain instantly scolded her for taking that dangerous train of thought. He had just admitted liking a friend of his, didn't he?

"You would?" she prompted him, eager to break the tension building between them.

"I... act..."

* * *

The next thing she knew, his lips were on hers. It was faint and tentative, at first, leaving both of their skins electrified. Seeing as she didn't shy away from him, Chat Noir wrapped his arms around her and went back for another taste, deeper and dizzying. Marinette was quick to give in to his kiss, matching his rough and urging intensity. She pressed herself against his chest, pulling him closer, while he was holding onto her waist and the small of her back tightly. His lips were soft yet firm at the same time against hers, and he tasted like apples and honey. Her fingers locked themselves in his golden strands, and she let herself melt into his embrace.

The world was spinning around them, and nothing mattered to her anymore apart from those addicting lips kissing her, those muscular arms holding her tight, the beating of his heart strong and steady against hers.

It felt right. She felt just as every stray piece of her soul had just fallen into their rightful places.

She belonged there, in that man's arms.

* * *

The kisses deepened, Marinette merely pulling back to find her breath. Her hands were becoming more and more daring as heat rose between their intertwined bodies, stroking his arms, his back, his thighs, his steel-hard abs, shyly tracing the line of his hip. Her caresses were rough on his body, urgent, hungry, and Chat felt his self-control waver. He couldn't think straight anymore, he was high drunk on her scent, on her touch. Her lips abandoned his, ignoring his mournful sigh, moving to his neck, descending the line of his jaw, kissing, and biting him like her life depended on drinking from his skin.

"M-M-Mari... S-s-t-op... I-I-I can't. This isn't what you want," he uttered weakly, a brief flash of reason flashing through his blurry mind.

"I want this. I want you." Her voice was raw, harsh. She resumed licking and biting his earlobe, eliciting a loud moan from him.

"Mari... what about A-Adrien?" he tried half-heartedly, part of him delighted that she didn't even bother stopping kissing his collarbone (when had she pulled on the bell?) as she answered.

"What about Ladybug?"

He lost it. She wanted him, and god did he want her right then. "Fair enough."

He went back for another drink of her, his tongue gently stroking hers, his fingers caressing the skin of her back under the hem of her sweater. She responded to every touch of his, moaning, whimpering, kissing, biting, licking with a hunger that matched his own. He dared raise tentative fingers to cup her breast and was rewarded with a contented sigh in their kiss.

"MARINETTE! You should go to bed, honey, there's school tomorrow!"

The voice of Marinette's mother snapped them both back to reality as they jerked away from each other. Sheepishly, she yelled back, "Yes, mom, sorry!" before returning her attention to Chat, who had busied himself studying every curve of her face as if it was the first time he had ever laid eyes on her.

"I'm sorry, I forgot to turn off my lights. It gave us away."

He smiled, placing a soft kiss on her slightly parted lips before getting up. "No harm done, princess. I'm sorry, this is going to sound really stupid but… Who's that lucky boy that got to steal your heart from Adrien Agreste?"

Dumbfounded, Marinette stood still for a second before him, looking at him just like he had grown a second head. "Seriously? Do you want me to spell it out for you?"

Grinning from ear to ear, the feline answered coyly, "I'd like that very much."

With a playful sigh, the young woman wrapped her arms around his waist and planted a peck on his cheek. "You're a really efficient burglar, Kitty. Stole it fair and square. What about you, who's that lucky friend that spends her days running into your mind?"

He chuckled, kissing the crown of her hair briefly. "You should get to bed, princess, you must be exhausted from all that running around."

Chat Noir pressed his lips to hers once again, before perching himself on the railway. Reaching for his staff, he glanced back at her eagerly. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

The expression painted on her face right then would be engraved in his mind for centuries to come. It was pure bliss, happiness at its higher level.

"I'll be waiting for you, Kitty."


	9. Chapter 9: Quite a mess

By the time Adrien had reached the mansion, his mind was nothing but a foggy blur. He absentmindedly let himself inside his room through the window he had earlier left open upon his departure, dropped his transformation and headed straight for his bathroom, a dreamy smile plastered onto his lips. After a long and very much needed cold shower, the young man put his pajamas on and dropped himself on his bed, the everlasting grin never leaving his lips.

"I kissed her," he sighed dreamily to no one in particular, contemplating the ceiling of his room like it held some sort of long lost secret.

Plagg shook his head disapprovingly, obviously displeased with the whole ordeal. "Chat Noir kissed her, not Adrien."

The young man frowned at his kwami, effectively snapping out of his lovesick trance. "So what? If she has feelings for both Adrien and Chat Noir, I don't see the harm in it. She likes both sides of me, Plagg."

The kwami sighed heavily. Had his pupil always been that dense? "What's the plan, Adrien? Satisfy yourself with late night visits as Chat? How are you going to deal with seeing her at school unbeknownst to her? Make her cheat on you with yourself? Are you planning on revealing yourself to her?"

Adrien paled a few shades and audibly gulped, all traces of his dreamy smile long gone from his face. "I... I didn't think that far."

"I tried to warn you beforehand, Adrien, but you refused to listen. You heard what she said tonight. She's pushing her feelings for you aside, so she can let Chat Noir in," scolded a heavily annoyed Plagg.

"But-" Adrien's words died on his lips. Whatever he had meant to say, he knew it was merely weak excuses. Plagg was very obviously really displeased with him, and the worst part was that he was absolutely right to be.

"You're toying with the poor girl's heart."

There it was. The nail in his coffin. To have it said out loud made it more real, more tangible, and the thought shattered Adrien's heart. The blond blinked, incredulous before his own stupidity. "I never meant to..."

"It's quite a mess you've created tonight, boy. I don't care how, but you have to fix this up before you break her heart."

Resolve rushed into Adrien's veins. "I will. I'll figure a way to fix this without hurting her, Plagg."

"And try to not dig yourself deeper in the process. Now, I believe I deserve my Camembert for putting up with your masquerade, don't I?"

* * *

The next day, Marinette strolled into class just in time for the bell to chime, as usual. She was out of breath and clutching her backpack to her chest, most likely having run from the bakery, like every single morning or so.

What was unusual, though, was that Adrien had trouble to tear his eyes away from her despite his best efforts. She was as beautiful as he recalled from the day before, her hair down for a change. She was sporting a black skirt with a hot pink tank top. A gray light woolen cardigan protected the secrecy of her wound, and she was positively glowing. For once she wasn't really late, but Adrien had genuinely hoped she would come a little bit early so he would get a chance to talk to her before the beginning of the lesson.

As she sat down in her usual spot next to Alya, he couldn't help but notice how Marinette instantly leaned toward her friend, whispering in her ear with the expression of someone that had great news to share. She seemed so carefree, so happy, and a part of him selfishly hoped he was the cause of this sudden bliss. That he had been the one to replace the shadow in her eyes with this joyful spark. Their quiet whispers and giggles sent a pang of hurt through Adrien's heart. He wanted, needed her to know that he was the one she had been kissing passionately the night before. That he had been the elated recipient of both her love confessions. And that he wholeheartedly returned the feeling.

Involuntarily focusing on Marinette's conversation behind him instead of the teacher's lesson, Adrien managed to make words out of the soft strings of whispers coming from the object of his affection:

"…someone new… really like him… special to me…"

The rest of their conversation wasn't loud enough for him to really catch whole sentences, but he still got the gist of it.

Plagg's earlier words sunk in painfully as he noticed the subtle changes in her attitude towards him. Where she would always have stammered some sort of greeting as she entered the same room as him, she had only smiled at him, barely even acknowledging his presence. He didn't feel her gaze linger on the back of his head throughout the lesson as he used to for the previous four years. She didn't go out of her way to interact with him, a weird habit of hers he had never quite understood since he was convinced she utterly disliked him and was being civil to him only for their mutual friends' sakes. Well, up until hearing from her very own lips that the poor girl used to harbor what she thought to be an unrequited crush on him. Somehow, he found himself dearly missing those glimpses of her in his daily life.

Looking at the girl that had been in front of him forever without him to even bother noticing her, he easily made his definite choice right there and then. True, he had been faithful in his adoration of Ladybug for the longest time, but she had made herself quite clear many times that she didn't see him that way, and that she wanted nothing to do with being romantically involved with him. She'd remain his best friend, his partner, and it wouldn't change a thing in the fact that he was ready to take any blow to protect her. They were two parts of a greater whole that he couldn't deny.

But with Marinette, he could really be himself. He actually had a chance to be loved for who he was, and he wouldn't take the chance of letting it slip again.

Adrien Agreste chose to pursue Marinette Dupain-Cheng at that very second.

* * *

When the bell rang, Marinette got up to gather her things, still wrapped in the lingering pleasant memories of the night before. A soft tap on her shoulder startled her out of her lovely daydreams, and she spun around to be met with Adrien's green eyes. He was standing beside her desk, a shy smile on his lips, looking every single bit out of place as a puppy in a bowling alley would look. "Hey. Just wanted to check on you. Are you okay?"

She frowned slightly, not sure what had triggered his weird behavior. "I'm really fine, actually. That weekend away from Paris really did me wonders, thanks a lot again."

"How's your arm?" he prompted bluntly, unable to stop himself.

She blushed, absentmindedly draping her hand over the wound. "It's healing fine, thanks to you. Changed the bandage this morning, following doctor's orders, sir!"

Adrien wanted to smack himself at the back of the head. What kind of lame flirting was that? He was afraid he would scare her away, but he had to remind himself how unnecessarily complicated he had made things between them. If he wanted to right his wrongs, he needed to spend time with her. "That's good. Actually, I wanted to see if you'd care for lunch with me?"

Great, Agreste. Really great. She didn't seem to find that too odd tough, as she simply nodded, putting her bag on her shoulder. He noticed her wince a little in pain at the movement, and he swiftly lunged forward to grab her bag for her. "Please, allow me. You'll rip the stitches open."

Marinette frowned. "Adrien... people will talk if you start carrying my bag around."

He merely shrugged, channeling a little of his Chat Noir persona and casting her a sly grin. "So what? People talk all the time anyway."

"But-"

He cut her, his warm smile never leaving his lips. "No buts, Marinette. You're injured, we both know it. Allow me to be a gentleman, please?"

She sighed. "Fine. But you're dealing with Chloé if she throws a fit."

"Deal."

* * *

Marinette didn't know what came over Adrien to suddenly act like this towards her. Sure, they had gotten to know each other better over the weekend, and her new lack of stuttering around him had definitely shifted their friendship into second gear. But his new sweet attitude toward her was badly messing with her mind. Just as she finally felt ready to let go of her feelings for him, he was taking interest in her.

Talk about great timing.

The lunch was agreeable. They chatted about their weekend, her wound, her projects, the classes. He updated her on Nino's latest DJ gig, she talked about Alya's upcoming reporter's internship. Talking with him was becoming easy, natural even. He didn't bring up Chat Noir, and she sure was glad he didn't. What could have she even told him about him? 'Oh, he's fine, I made out with him on a rooftop yesterday and it was amazing.' didn't fit quite well in a casual conversation with a former crush.

As they were gathering their things to head back to class, he thanked her for keeping him company with a wide smile. Marinette smiled back at him, reassessing that she had had a great time, and would look forward to spending time with him again. While she spoke, Adrien suddenly reached out and tucked back a strand of black hair behind her ear, making her blush deeply. Neither of them commented on the overly tender gesture, though, instead falling into a pregnant silence as they walked back to their classroom.

On their way back, Alya grabbed her best friend by the arm, separating them on the spot. Marinette shot an apologetic smile at Adrien who simply nodded back, forcing himself to grin knowingly. Alya hadn't changed a bit over the course of the last few years, even if she had grown older. She was still an authoritarian sweetheart with a knack for exposing secrets.

"Girl, what was all that about? Didn't you say you had your eyes on someone else?"

Marinette groaned. "I know, I know! I don't know what's his deal."

Alya squinted her eyes. "Did something happen this weekend Marinette? All of a sudden you're not a stuttering mess around him anymore and he can't take his eyes off you."

"There was a lot of talking, that's all. Eventually, the stutter faded out."

"That doesn't explain why Adrien's acting like this. Does he know about the mystery man you won't talk about?"

"No!"

She did recall talking about Chat in the car, though, and about how he was a common friend for both of them. Surely, Chat Noir didn't go and brag about what happened the night before, did he? She sighed, suddenly very concerned about the whole ordeal. "Well, there could be small chance he would know."

Alya giggled. "How cute. Our little Adrien is jealous!"

"You think?" Marinette asked, uneasy with the idea. If Adrien was jealous, it would mean that he was expecting more of their friendship. While that fact would have made her faint with happiness just a few weeks prior, now it just made her sick with worry. Would what she had with her sweet kitty ruin her newfound friendship with Adrien?

Alya's answer did nothing to reassure her. "Positive."

* * *

Adrien wasn't able to focus at all on the teacher's words. All he could do was mentally replay what had happened at lunch over and over again. Reaching for the fallen strand of hair had been a spur of the moment thing, but when he did he couldn't help but noticing her quite odd earrings at the same time. They were very bland for Marinette's flawless fashion sense, empty, as if missing something. Just as my ring when I'm not Chat. Plagg can't be right... Can he? His obvious lack of focus earned him a nudge from a concerned Nino.

"You okay, dude?"

"Yeah. Don't mind me."

The young DJ didn't seem convinced. "Did something happen with Marinette?"

"No."

Adrien knew he was being unfair to his best friend, shutting him out like that, but there was no way he could explain what was going on. He'd have to satisfy himself with Plagg's advice.

"You're both acting weird man," Nino tried to push further.

"Nothing happened."

Nino sighed, frustrated. Boy, could Adrien be stubborn when he put his mind to it. He chose to leave him alone for the time being, the murderous glare the teacher cast them definitely helping.

* * *

"You shouldn't go."

Adrien shrugged. "I promised, Plagg. I said I'll come back tonight."

"You're digging up your own grave, boy. Flirting with her at lunch as Adrien, smooching her as Chat at night. This won't end well," foreshadowed the little deity, happily munching on his cheese.

The young man frowned, "I'm trying, okay? I'm really trying to fix it all up. I'm just scared to mess things up even further. Besides, I'm beginning to think you may have been right after all."

Plagg grinned. "Of course. I'm always right. About what this time?"

"Her earrings are weird. I think they might be a miraculous."

The black deity spun around, all too pleased with himself. "What are you planning to do about it?"

"I'll think of something. Maybe I should just tell her who I am and see where things go from there."

Plagg shook his head. "Whatever you do, do it quick, before all of this goes out of hand."

"Plagg, claws out."


	10. Chapter 10: Cheese is less trouble

A new routine set itself up over the course of the next few weeks.

Every single day, Adrien would join Marinette for lunch. They would chat casually about everything and nothing at the same time, laugh together or team up to do their homework. He was clearly trying to get to know her better, and their new-found friendship was truly something Marinette cherished. Some days Alya and Nino would eat with them, but they were left on their own most of the time. Their friends had been more than happy to get some alone time to themselves without feeling guilty over their best friends third-wheeling.

Just as Marinette had predicted the day of their first lunch, there had been annoying issues with gossip the first few days, crazy and barely believable stories running wild across the school. People talked about how Marinette was pregnant with Adrien's child. Others implied that she was his brand new stylist, recently hired by Gabriel himself to look after his son's good looks (that particular rumor had made them both snort in disbelief. If Marinette had been hired by his father, there's no way she would have kept it a secret.). Another persistent rumor was that the Dupain-Chengs were taking Adrien into their custody, seeing that his father spent so much time out of town. After a while, though, people grew accustomed to seeing them spending time together, and they stopped paying attention to them altogether.

Chloe surprisingly didn't find anything mean to say about how close the pair had grown. Obviously, the years had done her immature and empty personality some good. There were rumors stating that the heiress had her eyes set on a certain redhead artist for quite some time now, and she was spending her time trying to make him forget her past bullying him instead of actually bullying their classmates around. Not that anybody was complaining about the refreshing change of attitude.

Adrien had spent the Saturday following the fight against the Gardener at the bakery, honoring the promise he had made her to remove her stitches himself. Satisfied with the way her wound was healing, the young man had given her a few tricks to avoid scarring too badly, and they had spent the remaining of the day playing videogames in the livingroom. He had shown up unannounced the next Saturday, looking a little bit sheepish as he handed her a few games from his own collection, asking shyly if she wanted to play again. The following weekend, Marinette (as well as her elated and overly friendly parents) had been expecting him, and she was ready with snacks and blankets on hand to carry them through their afternoon of cutthroat competing against each other.

In the meantime, in between her blossoming friendship with Adrien and her kissing sessions in the moonlight with Chat Noir, Marinette found herself feeling happier, lighter, elated even. True to Tikki's words, akumas were swiftly dealt with, her cleansing spell was more effective than it had ever been, and the little deity kept gushing about how her current state of bliss greatly improved her healing rate.

Over the weeks, Marinette's wound had finally completely healed and the young woman slowly resumed wearing short sleeves. The only person making a comment on the slightly whiter scar, almost perfectly faded into the shade of her arm was Alya, asking if it had always been there while she was watching her friend sketch. The young woman had simply nodded, invoking an old accident involving sewing scissors, and never had it been brought up again after that.

At nights, it was Chat Noir's turn to play. Most nights, he would visit not too long after the lights were dimmed in her parent's bakery. They talked a lot about everything and nothing altogether, getting to know each other better, and there was also an awful lot of cuddling and kissing. On warmer nights they would sit side by side on her balcony, stargazing under some blankets just like they had done the night of their first kiss. When it was too cold to spend a lot of time outside, they would play Ultimate Mecha Strike 3 in her room, read together or even watch some movies. Other times he would simply watch her work on her designs or help her with science homework. She was comfortable with him. Being with him felt right.

There were a few akuma attacks during this period, but they seemed weak and unmotivated. Marinette mused to great lengths about it to Tikki, who merely shrugged with a fond smile on her little face. She hinted a time or two that if a depressed Ladybug was weakened, a sickeningly happy one might be strengthened. The young woman wasn't convinced, seeing as she had been blissfully happy for most of her life, and yet their fights had never been that easy before. Still, the fact was that akumas were dealt with swiftly and effectively, so Ladybug and Chat Noir didn't spend much time together.

Their days were happy, for the most part.

Up until, late at night, when Chat Noir had finally regained his own bed, back as Adrien Agreste, and they both laid alone on their sheets, the doubts crept back, tirelessly nagging them.

Up until Plagg, every single night, sternly lectured his chosen on the disaster he was stubbornly crafting. On the way, a relationship built on so many lies couldn't last and would doubtlessly fall to pieces. On how much he had stupidly put at stake.

Up until a very concerned Tikki, every single night tried to knock some sense into her lovesick wielder. Tried to get her to build some sort of wall around her heart, to push away either of the boys messing with her head before she wound up hurt. Broken beyond repair.

They tried to listen, they really did, but they just couldn't resist. She was his catnip, he was her honey. They simply couldn't stand to stay away from each other, even if they knew perfectly well their kwamis were absolutely right.

So every night, they vowed to themselves they would straighten things up the next day.

And every morning, Adrien resolve melted away when he laid eyes on her, sitting in front of him.

And every night, Marinette couldn't help but open the skylight for him.

* * *

To say Plagg was mad at Adrien would be more than an understatement. "It's been weeks. Weeks, Adrien! This has been going on for way too long."

The young model grunted. "I'm trying, okay?"

The kwami snorted in disbelief. "You're trying? You don't have many options, Adrien. Either make her fall for Adrien and keep your secret to yourself or reveal yourself to her. If she finds out on her own, who knows what she's gonna think."

"I KNOW THAT!" Adrien shrieked through clenched teeth.

Plagg narrowed his eyes at him. "Then why haven't you done anything yet? Getting all touchy-feely with her almost every night as Chat is supposed to push her towards Adrien how exactly, enlighten me?"

"I'm scared."

It had come out almost a whisper, a confession the young man hadn't looked forward to making.

"What now?"

Adrien sat on the edge of his bed, burying his head in his hands with despair. "I'm scared okay? What if she is really over Adrien, and doesn't want anything to do with Chat anymore when she finds out the truth? What if I'm right and she really is Ladybug and ends up hating me once she realizes I figured it out?"

The black deity's glare softened. "Adrien... kid... you have to make it stop. You can't humanely continue like this."

The blond huffed. "Why do you care so much anyway? Last time I checked I hadn't turn into a giant block of cheese, even if I sure smell like one all day long, all thanks to you."

His tone was harsh, impatient.

"Cheese sure is less trouble than you."

Adrien laughed a dry, humorless laugh. "You chose me, if I recall correctly. I never asked for anything."

Plagg nodded. "I did choose you. It's kinda why I'm trying to help you solve this mess. Pursuing her as Chat is hopeless, and you know this. You're both going to end up broken, and I don't want to think what would happen to Chat Noir if it were to happen."

"I'll talk to her if I get the chance. But I'm terrified to lose her," Adrien sighed, frustrated to feel his eyes watering against his will at the thought. Every time he had this conversation with his kwami, the prospect of losing Marinette forever shot an intense surge of pain through him.

"I know."

Plagg sighed really deeply. "Listen, Adrien, I'm not good at this. Tikki has always been the comforting kwami among us two and-"

"WHO?"

The black kwami realized his mistake as soon as he saw Adrien's head jolt upright, memories of the night he had overheard Marinette talking with her so-called Chat Noir plush rushing forward in his head.

"Nothing."

"Plagg. Who's Tikki?"

His kwami dejectedly settled himself on the bed in front of him, looking utterly torn. "I already interfered way too much, if she ever finds out-"

His chosen had clenched his fists on his lap, and was clearly shaking. "Plagg. Who-is-Tik-ki.?"

With a long and defeated sigh, Plagg reluctantly gave in. "Tikki is Ladybug's kwami."

"Fuck." Adrien never swore. This made this statement even more startling.

"Adrien?" tentatively called Plagg, but he wasn't able to catch his charge's attention. The young man slumped over himself, realization heavy on his shoulders.

It made perfect sense, after all. They always parted ways uttering weak excuses every time there was an akuma. He had never seen Marinette and Ladybug in the same room. It explained how the hell she had been able to show up at the cottage. The gash on Marinette's arm, so similar to Ladybug's wound, as Plagg had so kindly pointed out. They had the same magnificent bluebell eyes, they even sported the goddamn same pigtails! Marinette openly despised any form of lie, and he could easily recall many occasions where Ladybug had proven to have the exact same pet peeve. They both shared the same unwavering determination once their mind was set on something, the same definite fire running in their veins.

Now that he knew, he couldn't for the life of him fathom how on Earth he had managed to be so blind, so oblivious. For four years straight he had been fighting beside her, interacting with her on a daily basis. For four years straight he had been in the same classroom, sharing the same lessons, the same friends, the same air. Adrien had always prided himself on being the human being that knew his lady the most, utterly convinced that he could pick her out of a crowd even out of the mask without any hesitation.

And yet, she ended up being one of his closest friends, the girl he had spent the last few weeks kissing relentlessly until they both were out of breath, the girl who had managed to rip his heart out of his ribcage without him minding the slightest. And he hadn't seen anything. Hadn't seen the blow coming, even if Plagg had tried to soften it.

Because Plagg had tried to tell him, to make him see the obvious. But he hadn't listened.

It had taken him the knowledge of the name of her kwami, the very same name his lady had falsely given to her Chat Noir plushie on the sole now-very-obvious purpose of protecting her secret identity, to make him put the pieces together. And now he had, he wasn't sure how to deal with it.

His lady and his princess were the same person.

There was no point denying the obvious anymore.

* * *

Marinette was laying on her bed, staring at her ceiling as if she were trying to drill a hole in it. Concerned about her wielder's sanity, Tikki sat on her belly, raising her little eyebrows at her. "Are you alright, Marinette?"

A deep sigh welcomed her question. "I'm… kind of really confused here, Tikki. No matter how hard I think about it, I just don't get why all of a sudden Adrien wants to spend all that time with me."

The kwami giggled softly, patting her charge reassuringly on the cheek. "You did spend a lot of time together at his father's estate. And over the last few weeks. Maybe he liked getting to know you and actually wants more?"

"Maybe, but why NOW?" Marinette shrieked, burying her head into her folded arms.

Tikki smiled softly, understandingly. "It's about what's going on with Chat Noir, isn't it, Marinette?"

She nodded, distress clearly written all over her face. "I'm... I feel good when I'm with him. I like spending them with him, and when we kiss it feels just right. Like I've been meant to be with him all along."

"But?" insightfully prompted the red deity.

"Adrien really confuse me. And I don't get why. As much as I truly wanted to move on, it doesn't seem to work all that well. I mean, I'm less a weirdo around him and actually manage complete sentences now when I'm talking to him, but he still makes butterflies flutter in my belly every now and then. And… it upsets me because I genuinely wanted to really try and make it work with Chat Noir."

Tikki's reaction was almost instantaneous. "Oh, Marinette. You can't turn off your feelings like that. You don't have an on/off button on your heart."

The young woman chuckled, amused at the thought. "That would make things so much easier! We should try and patent that!"

Tikki chuckled lightly, but wasn't deterred from her original intent. "Marinette, you have to listen. Chat Noir was well aware of your romantic feelings towards Adrien when your relationship began. Surely he doesn't in his right mind expect you to push them aside that fast. He's a boy, but he's not stupid."

Marinette smiled softly, memories of her beloved kitty dancing around in her mind. "I know he isn't. But I really want to give this, whatever it is we have, a chance."

"I know you do, Marinette. But you really should think this through before going any further – in any direction. First of all, you don't have a single clue about who Chat Noir truly is behind that mask. For all you know he could be everything you despise once he's out of the suit."

Her chosen shook her head vehemently, refusing to even consider that hypothesis. "I highly doubt he could really be that bad. I honestly think that being Chat Noir actually allows him to be the real him. He's... I think he's a very lonely man, Tikki."

The kwami sighed in defeat. "I want you happy more than anything Marinette, and not just for Ladybug's purposes. I truly care about your wellbeing. But you can't take in every stray cat just because they're lonely. I honestly think you need some time away from both Adrien and Chat Noir to figure out your feelings and what it is that you truly want."

Marinette sighed into the distance, her bluebell gaze darkening. "I'm afraid Tikki. I'm scared I'll hurt Adrien. And I'm afraid Chat will figure out I'm Ladybug if I let him get too close."

"Would it really be that bad?"

Marinette seemed to give it a thought, before shaking her head. "It's way too dangerous, Tikki. It's more than enough that I'm becoming a weakness for Chat, Ladybug can't become one, too. He'll get himself killed trying to protect me."

Tikki nodded pensively. "Maybe you're right."

Marinette was suddenly pulled out of her gruesome thoughts by a soft knock on her skylight. She glanced briefly at her clock before hastily rushing to let him in, genuinely puzzled. It was almost 1 a.m. She wasn't expecting Chat Noir anymore on that day; he never showed up so late at night.

Her mind went wild with concern toward her leather clad partner.

Was he okay?


	11. Chapter 11: Lovestruck

Her mind madly racing with silly and horrifying theories about why in the world Chat Noir would be knocking on her skylight so late at night, Marinette unlocked the window with shaky fingers. It flung opened almost instantly, and the leather clad boy dropped on her bed like he had done countless times before. Kneeling on her mattress, the young woman tried to stifle her overwhelming concern toward her partner and reached for him, her hand tenderly cradling his cheek. The hero lifted his gaze from the floor where it had been glued ever since his unusual silent entrance, and he wordlessly met hers.

Her previous conversation with Tikki went to waste at that precise very second.

All thoughts of slowing things down between them, about protecting her already way too much exposed heart, about any instinct of self-preservation, to be honest, was thrown to the wind at that precise moment.

Chat Noir stood before her, miserably hunched over himself, his beautiful green gaze full of sorrows and fears, his lips twitching. His fists were clenched tight on his sides, and his ears were laying flat on his head. He was clearly upset about something, and it shook her to her very core. He was obviously hurt, terrified even, and he had come to her all out of the places he could have been, seeking comfort. At that very moment, she knew that she had really fallen hard for her silly kitty. She loved him, with all her being. Her untimely crush on Adrien or not in the picture, what she felt for Chat Noir was undeniably there, stifling her heart, and real.

And he looked every single piece broken, utterly shattered, like he was mere seconds apart from falling apart.

He needed her.

So Marinette did the only thing she could possibly think of to ease his pain, to comfort him. She crawled on her bed, erasing the distance between them as fast as she could, and their lips collided, hard and needy. He collapsed into her embrace, his whole being wrapped around her as he desperately answered her frantic kisses. The young woman tried with all her will to convey just how much he really meant to her in their kiss as she felt him pouring his unspoken fears in it. Marinette pulled him closer and closer to her, her fingers clinging to his shoulders as if her very life depended on it. Soon, the passionate kiss rushed over them both, and everything else was forgotten.

By that point, he didn't even remember why he had come to her so late at night, and she didn't recall her kwami warning her to slow things down for her own sake. He clung to her like he was a drowning man and she was his oxygen, like she was the only source of light in an ocean of darkness.

All that mattered to them was here and now. And here and now Chat Noir was nigh-drunk on her kisses, on her touch, on her body pressed against his. And she kept relentlessly kissing him, openly trying to soothe him with her love. He hugged her tightly, his leather clad hands running restlessly along her sides, her legs, her arms. There was a hint of urgency, a taste of despair in their embrace that made both of their minds go crazy, begging for more and more.

Her nightgown had hiked up to her waist, revealing her bare thighs in the dim-lit room. He snaked a gloved hand under it, gently caressing her silky skin with shy restraint, with some kind of reverence toward her. Every touch of his made her skin feels like it was on fire, but she didn't care the slightest. Daring fingers cupped her breast, and he miserably failed to repress a soft moan when he realized she wasn't wearing anything underneath the thin fabric of her nightgown. Slowly, giving her time to back out if she wanted to, he pulled the garment over her head, hastily dismissing it once it was off her skin. Heaving breasts came into view, her pink nipples already hard with excitement. He had never seen anything so beautiful, so perfect before in his life. Chat groaned unconsciously, and buried his face into her neck, biting the tender flesh, and nibbling softly at her collarbone. She was breathing heavily against the skin of his neck, digging her nails into his back through the dark leather, pressing herself against him as if she were trying to erase any remaining distance between them.

He bit lightly at her earlobe, earning himself a loud and breathy moan in the process, sending shivers down his spine. She was hot and feverish under his touch, and he couldn't resist pressing his lips on every single inch of her skin, grazing his teeth along the curves of her jaw, of her neck.

"C-C-Chat..." she whispered, her whole body flushed an adorable shade of pink with lust. The suit did next to nothing to hide his own flaming desire for her, his erection beginning to feel rather uncomfortable against the rough tightness of the leather. Marinette locked her arms around his neck, kissing him again, bringing him even closer, pressing her body against his urgently. There was no way she could ignore how much he wanted her, needed her by then. Carefully, he moved forward still holding her, their lips never breaking contact, and he laid her gently on her bed. He climbed on top of her, hovering over her with his legs between hers and his elbows on both sides of her, planting deep and urging kisses on her lips.

Marinette caressed his body over the dark leather, tracing the line of every muscle with pressing strokes.

"I want to touch your skin..." she whispered huskily in his ear. He kissed her jawline, the blond's hands roaming over her lithe body recklessly in response.

"I-I can't... remove the suit purrincess..."

She whimpered dejectedly, resuming their searing kiss. To be honest, neither of them had minded the restrictions the suit harbored before then. But now, God he wanted her so bad, and she had made it clear that she wanted him back. He almost didn't care anymore about her finding out he was Chat Noir.

Almost . A part of him still was desperately scared he'd lose her for good, he'd lose the precious bond they had if she did. Pulling away from her briefly to cast a glance around in search of some sort of epiphany about a way to indulge into his princess' wishes, he stretched himself past her head, grabbing the sleeping mask she used to prevent the sun from waking her too early in the morning on her bedside table.

"May-maybe we can..."

She nodded hazily, understanding where he was headed. Marinette took the mask from Chat's hands and fastened it over her eyes, effectively blocking out all sight and light. Chat Noir smiled and leaned in to kiss her again, his tongue gently stroking hers, making her shiver under his touch. With her vision rendered useless, her other senses seemed to overcompensate, every single sensation becoming exponentially intense.

Voice rough with desire, Chat drew back a little. "Plagg, claws in."

Marinette didn't flinch at the sudden flash of green light, reassuring Adrien that she was effectively blind. He paused there fully clothed for a second, taking in the beauty of the girl sprawled out on the bed in only her panties.

The corner of his gaze caught Plagg flying away from the entangled couple as fast as he could, colliding with a small red creature in the process.

His brain refused to dwell too much on that detail, his attention instantly snapping back on the porcelain skin he left thirsty for his kisses. Ladybug or not, she still was Marinette, the woman he loved dearly and who was currently breathing heavily, waiting for him to make love to her. He wasn't quite thinking clearly anymore, but he knew without the shadow of a doubt that he wanted her and nobody else. Nothing else mattered to him. He swiftly stripped down to his boxers, evening the equation with Marinette's current state of clothing, and lowered himself back over her, kissing, biting, and licking every inch of her skin in the process. She eagerly touched him back, finally caressing longingly his skin like it was some kind of wonder.

He tentatively reached between her legs, gently rubbing over the thin fabric of her underwear. His initiative was met with a soft moan into his mouth, which he took as an invitation to go further. He slid his hand under the garment, spreading her wetness around her entrance. She whimpered softly as he easily slid a finger inside her, moving slowly back and forth, building a steady rhythm. He added another finger, prepping her lovingly for what was to come. While his fingers were at work in her, Adrien kept caressing her breasts with his other hand, biting her neck softly, kissing her lips. She was quivering under his touch, and soon found herself begging him for more.

With a fond smile, Adrien pulled back and removed her panties as he hastily discarded his boxers. He reached into his jeans pocket, grabbing a condom and slid it on his length with shaking fingers, impatient to carry on with what the amazing things they had started. When he crawled back on top of her, Marinette tentatively grabbed his neck in the dark and went in for a hot and feverish kiss, her tongue licking his lips before entering his mouth to gently stroke his.

"Are you sure-" He pressed his hips against her eagerly, both of their bodies trembling with excitation and anticipation.

She gasped softly when she felt his erection pressed against her, but she didn't shy away from him. "Yes."

Still avidly kissing her silky lips, Adrien pushed himself inside her slowly, giving her time to adjust to the unfamiliar intrusion. He was watching her face intently, searching for any sign of pain or discomfort that he would take as a signal to stop. But none came. She'd made a soft squeal when he first entered her, but now she was only moaning softly, her voice sending his nerves singing as she became undone.

Marinette felt as if her world was now revolving around their bodies moving together. It did sting a little at first, but when he started moving slowly inside her, waves of pleasure were quick to replace the pain, soon leaving her a writhing mess under him. It seemed like the purest sensation of her life, bliss rising in her core with every thrust. He was buried in her fevered flesh, searing against him. She gripped his shoulders and arched her back, moaning louder.

Adrien opened his eyes and contemplated her beautiful face flushed with desire, her cheeks flushed bright red under the blindfold, her lips twitching with every small cry. He let his gaze explore her silky white skin, watching himself impale her again and again. He reached between their bodies, softly rubbing her clit with his thumb. She threw her head back, overwhelmed by the added sensation.

"Ah-ah-ah C-C-Chat!" was all she could manage to utter as ecstasy washed over her, leaving her panting and dizzy in his arms. She buried her face under his jaw, clutching his shoulders so hard her knuckles were whitening while he continued moving back and forth inside her. Adrien felt his own orgasm build up, his hips thrusting harder against hers. She screamed, the sound muffled by his neck on her lips, and he felt his release echoing hers.

They rolled on their sides, Adrien pulling her back to his chest, peppering small kisses on her head, her shoulders.

"That was..." he whispered, afraid she'd recognized his voice without the magic.

"Perfect," she ended for him. He nodded, burying his face in her hair so she'd feel the movement. He kissed her shoulder one more time, casting a regretful glance at the hour before sighing heavily, "I really should go, purrincess. It's getting early. I- Thanks. For being there."

She smiled softly against his skin, even though he couldn't see it. "Always, Kitty."

Adrien reluctantly fed Plagg and transformed back, staring at Marinette's beautiful figure all along. Once he was Chat Noir again, he delicately pulled the mask from her face and gazed into her beautiful, shining blue eyes. "I wish I could stay."

She leaned in, kissing him softly on the cheek. "Me, too. Go before I change my mind. I'll see you soon?"

"Purrrmise."

With a last kiss full of unspoken promises, he finally left, leaving Marinette to try and get some sleep despite the lovestruck grin that refused to leave her face.


	12. Chapter 12: The Scribe

Against all odds, Marinette still managed to get about two hours of blissful sleep before her alarm blared through her room, effectively waking her up. The feeling of the sun caressing her bare skin startled her a little before she woke up enough to recall the previous night's events. Chat Noir's touch was still lingering pleasantly on her body, and the young woman's heart already longed for him. She reluctantly left her bed, where she was blissfully wrapped in those memories, and forced herself to do something useful instead of basking in his scent all day. A little, shy smile was plastered on her lips as she went around her room, dressing up and getting ready for the long day she had to get through before getting the chance of seeing her dear kitty again.

Her kwami's voice pulled her from her thoughts. "Marinette, are you okay?"

Startled, the young woman looked at her kwami, who was sighing deeply. Obviously, she had been trying to catch her attention for a while now, without succeeding.

"Sorry, Tikki, you were saying?" Marinette answered, handing her little friend a chocolate chip cookie.

"I was suggesting that maybe you should try to know what Chat Noir was upset about yesterday evening if he shows up tonight. I tried to speak about it with Plagg while you were otherwise occupied, but his lips were sealed shut."

The young woman's face instantly drained of its color. "You did what now?"

"Relax, Marinette," the young deity chuckled softly. "When Chat Noir detransformed, Plagg came to me for some cuddles, that's all."

"That means Chat Noir's kwami knows my identity, Tikki! What if-"

"Plagg and I have known about each other's charge from the very beginning, Marinette," Tikki cut her off. "We chose you together. However, we aren't allowed to reveal that information in any way to you. If you choose to reveal yourselves to each other someday, the decision must be yours, and yours only. We aren't allowed to interfere."

Toying absentmindedly with the hem of her shirt, Marinette felt her heart clench painfully in her chest. "Is that why you want me to slow things down with him? Because there's someone awful under that mask?"

The kwami had a motherly smile as she landed into her wielder's lap. "I don't want to talk too much about that boy; it's not my place to tell. But I can safely assure you that I only want you to avoid making rash decisions. I only tried to get you thinking about the whole situation."

Somewhat comforted, the young woman sighed dejectedly. "You're right, though, something probably happened to him before he came over. He looked so sad, so broken…"

"Well, you could alway try to talk about it with him before shedding any clothes tonight."

"TIKKI!" Marinette shrieked, flushing bright red.

With a giggle, Tikki fled away from the pillow that had been thrown at her. "What? After all, I thought you did say you were going to slow things down."

Marinette sat on the edge of her bed, fully clothed, trying to tie her signature pigtails while mumbling, "imreallyfallingforhimtikki."

The kwami frowned. "I didn't get a single word out of that, Marinette."

"I'm... I'm really falling for him, Tikki. Very hard."

The frown didn't completely leave the deity's face. She watched silently as her pupil finished preparing herself for school, and took her usual place in her purse, an impending doom feeling never leaving her gut. As Marinette walked to school, the little kwami hoped with all her heart that Plagg's charge was going to find a solution to their delicate problem, and really soon.

* * *

The afternoon was halfway through, and Marinette had to face one last class before finally being able to go home. Her mind had been dead set on Chat Noir and the very early morning developments between them all day, leaving her an unfocused and daydreaming mess. The young woman kept absentmindedly doodling little hearts in her textbooks and smiling to herself like a lovesick fool. Wrapped in the lingering sensations of the previous night, she didn't even notice the not-so-subtle glances Adrien kept giving her all throughout the day.

However, Alya and Nino sure did notice something was way off with both of their best friends, and they were left musing about what the hell could have happened to turn the tables around like that. While Alya knew that her new mystery man must've been the reason why Marinette wasn't as receptive to Adrien as she used to be, but to see the blond's sudden and odd behavior was somewhat unsettling. The poor boy looked utterly obsessed with her best friend out of nowhere. Sure, the pair had grown significantly closer over the last months, a fact both Alya and Nino were well aware of and approved of to no end. Just the previous day, Adrien and she had spent the lunch studying together, and Alya had spotted many laughs and playful banter from afar. But it was now very clear to any onlooker that something had happened overnight. Marinette was desperately oblivious to her surroundings, including a certain blond model, while said model looked on the very verge of spontaneously combusting under the pressure of his pent up emotions. Something that ran way deeper than simple jealousy.

Hence why a very annoyed and beyond curious Alya successfully cornered Marinette just before entering the classroom. "Okay, young lady. I know for a fact that you're hiding something from me. There's obviously something going on with Adrien."

Snapping out of her lovesick trance, Marinette eyed her friend curiously. "I thought you said he was jealous?"

Alya shook her head, her hands on her hips and a scolding expression on her face. "There's more going on than that. A lot more. What is it you won't tell me? Come on, Mari, you know you can tell me anything."

Marinette was truly dumbfounded this time and didn't have to force the stunned expression on her face. While it was very true she was hiding (and fully intended to keep hiding) something from her best friend, it had absolutely nothing to do with Adrien.

She was about to answer Alya when a booming voice resonated all through the school walls, making the very walls shake. "I'M THE SCRIBE! FEAR MY MIGHTY PEN AND YIELD TO MY POWER!"

Marinette screamed internally with relief, profusely thanking mentally whoever got akumatized at that very second for saving her a very painful and prodding conversation with Alya. Now, if she just could find a way to slip out of sight long enough to transform, she would be able to spring into action and forget the confusing questions of her best friend. In all honesty, escaping unnoticed was becoming the trickiest part of her job as of lately. Four years of rather frequent and regular akuma attacks had made Paris' citizens well drilled whenever one happened. Students were used to leaving the class efficiently, running toward their regular shelter without making too much of a commotion. It was a really good thing in some way, since regretful incidents were much less likely to happen when people were evacuating in a quiet manner. But it also made Marinette and probably Chat Noir's escaping much more delicate than it had ever been.

Sure enough, when Marinette started running in the direction of the bathrooms instead of rushing outside with their classmates, Alya instantly noticed her disappearance and called out for her. Without turning back, she waved her hand, signaling her friend to go on without her, "Girl emergency! I'll catch up with you!"

Her best friend grunted in defeat and evacuated the school grounds nonetheless, rambling frustratingly about her friend's everlasting lame timing and obvious lack of straight priorities.

Once protected by the privacy of the girl's bathroom, Marinette checked two times rather than one that she was alone, and let Tikki fly out of her purse.

"I can feel his energy all the way from here, Marinette. Definitely an Akuma, not a doubt about that."

The young woman sighed. "No surprises there. Alright, Tikki, spots on."

Seconds later, Ladybug landed effortlessly on the school's roof, tucking her yo-yo back on her belt as she assessed the situation before her. She found herself facing a tall and hefty man wearing an awkwardly tight white spandex suit with random words written all over it, clutching a black quill in his right hand. On his left arm was a rather large blank spot on his suit. At first glance, he didn't look too dangerous, but by then, the heroine knew better than to trust her first judgment on akumas.

"Well, well, what have we got here?"

Ladybug stiffened, her whole being tensing as Chat Noir's voice rolled over her like a caress. When that thought hit her, she had to use all her will to refrain from slapping herself. She had to focus on the fight, no matter how much she wanted nothing more than pulling the silly feline into an inappropriate kiss right there. "Glad you made it, Chat."

If he noticed the slight tremor in her voice, he didn't mention it, raising a curious eyebrow at her before returning his attention to the new supervillain. "What's your problem, Marshmallow? Found a typo in your dictionary?"

"I'M THE SCRIBE, YOUNG ILLITERATE! MY STORY WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU? WELL NOW EVERYBODY'S GONNA HAVE TO LIVE MY STORIES WHETHER YOU WANT IT OR NOT!" the akumatized screamed, hatred spilling out of every word. Waving his quill with a mischievous grin, he dribbled something on his left arm, and instantaneously the school roof collapsed under their feet.

Ladybug managed in extremis to hook her yo-yo on some beam and somewhat soften her fall, but when the dust finally settled, Chat Noir was nowhere in sight.

"Chat? Chat?" she called way more frantically than she had intended to, swinging herself over the remnants of the school, heart furiously beating in her ears, before finally spotting him dusting his suit casually on the debris, relief washing over her. "That's exactly why you weren't supposed to let yourself fall for him, you dumb bug," Marinette mentally chastised herself.

"Don't you worry about me m'lady, I still have eight lives left," the feline smirked at her, grabbing his staff and resuming his fighting stance.

"IF THE PAWNS WON'T CRUMBLE, THEN THEY'LL HAVE TO PLAY!"

At those words, a giant chess board appeared around them, and Ladybug very nearly avoided getting crushed by a rather mean-looking queen. "Chat, whatever he writes on his arms becomes reality."

"Just like the Evillustrator. Hawkmoth's running out of inspiration."

Ladybug nodded, the draft of a plan building into her mind despite the constant distraction of Chat Noir being beside her. "You know what to do?"

"Distract him. As usual."

After about thirty minutes of dodging whatever attacks the akuma's twisted mind could come up with, Ladybug finally lost the little patience she had. Her lucky charm granted her a huge bottle of black ink that she managed expertly to throw right above the Scribe. In perfect sync with her, Chat Noir used his Cataclysm on it, making the glass container explode all over the akumatized citizen. Covered in black ink from head to toe, he wasn't able to write anything at all anymore, and effectively rendering his magic useless. Chat had no difficulty in snatching an envelope oddly poking out of the collar of the Scribe's suit.

"It's a rejection letter for a manuscript, my lady. Must be the akuma."

Ladybug nodded as she took the envelope he handed her, trying to focus anything else than how his fingers burnt against her skin when they brushed on hers. She tore up the letter hastily, revealing the purple butterfly that she promptly cleansed.

While her partner was making sure the disappointed writer, who turned out to be Mr. Damoclès, was alright, she used the lucky charm to put everything back in the right place, including the destroyed roof of the school. Closing the distance between them, Chat put a hand on her shoulder, smiling proudly.

"Good job, bugaboo. As always," he said softly, raising his fist before her. Normally, she would've quickly removed his hand, made a joke, at least reacted in some way. But right then, she froze, her whole being mesmerized by how much she longed his touch. The heroine ignored the fist raised in front of her, awaiting their customary fist bump. She couldn't even think of moving. She was contemplating those beautiful green eyes, remembering how those lips had made her feel the night before, and was having trouble refraining herself from pinning him against the wall right then and kiss him senseless. She forced herself to snap out of her fantasy, and noticed he was staring at her with a frown.

"What?"

"Are you okay m'lady? You kinda just phased out there."

She shrugged, her heart beating so hard it hurt. "Y-Yeah. Sorry, I-I'm alright."

He laughed softly, cupping her cheek with one hand and her knees threatened to give up under her.

"Try to grab some sleep, okay? You looked tired. We wouldn't want Paris' heroine sleeping on the job now, would we?"

With a quick peck on the cheek, he disappeared into the distance, leaving a fiercely blushing and stunned Ladybug in his wake.


	13. Chapter 13: Plan B

Never before in her career as a superheroine had Marinette been that glad of getting classes canceled because of an akuma. Her encounter with her silly kitty had left her rather shaken, and she wasn't sure she would be able to sustain another dose of the attention Adrien seemed to be constantly showering her with as of recently in her weakened state. It had been a real relief to be able to head straight back home after the fight, with the added benefit of avoiding Alya and her unwanted prodding questions about why the blond model was behaving strangely. With a frustrated groan, Marinette pushed away the homework she had been trying to get through for the past forty-five minutes. It was useless, despite her best intentions, she was unable to swerve her train of thoughts off the feline superhero that made her blood boil in her veins. All she could think about was his lips on her skin, the softness of his bare hands on her body, the feeling of him inside her…

Before her wandering mind succeeded into driving her crazy, the young woman sighed heavily and headed for her bathroom, towel in hand. Perhaps a shower would put her thoughts back where they belonged. About half an hour later, hair damp and pajamas on, Marinette emerged from the bathroom, noticeably more calm and composed than she had been all day. Her mother called her down for dinner, so she skipped down the attic stairs, planting a kiss on her father's cheek and taking her usual spot at the family table.

The shower had done wonders to calm her jittering nerves, but the lovely meal she enjoyed with her parents did the rest of the work. They chatted quietly, telling each other about their days (even if Marinette purposely left out huge chunks of hers) and lightheartedly joking around all through dinner. Dishes done and a cup of chamomile and honey tea later, she regained the privacy of her room, a real smile on her lips now. Blissfully, she was able to refrain her lovesick mind from drifting back to the previous night's activities and tackle some school work.

Later that night, she received a string of texts from Chat Noir's phone, stating that he had too much homework that needed his attention to drop by that night. He strongly advised her on taking that time to rest, not so subtly hinting at the few hours of sleep they had both gotten the night before. Even if she was heavily disappointed, having waited all day for his almost nightly visit, Marinette had to agree with both him and Tikki that a good night of sleep would do her wonders if she wanted to avoid the level of exhaustion she had reached the night Chat had found her crying on her balcony.

Now that she looked back on it, it seemed so long ago since so much had happened after that night, but Marinette remembered all too well how much she was feeling blue, and she truly didn't want to feel like that ever again. Closing her textbook and plugging her phone in for the night, she quietly went to sleep way earlier than usual, much to Tikki's pleasure and astonishment. Marinette crawled into her bed, wrapping herself in the blankets that blissfully still had his scent on. A few minutes later, Tikki distinctly heard her pupil's breathing deepen, hinting that she was already fast asleep.

* * *

Adrien was lying on his back on top of his bed, contemplating the ceiling wordlessly, still fully clothed. After a while, Plagg got fed up with the awkward and pregnant silence. Flying in front of his sulking holder that kept unconsciously toying with his ring, the black kwami sighed impatiently. "Okay. What's wrong now?"

"I miss her." Adrien's tone was plain, lifeless, and got the little deity worried.

"Then why did you cancel on her? You could've got your fair share of Marinette while I eat all the cheese I can stuff my face into if you hadn't chickened out on her."

Adrien looked away trying to ignore the tears prickling at the corner of his eyes, feeling an uncomfortable lump building in his throat. Why did he have to foolishly go and make everything so complicated between them?

"I'm going crazy here, okay, Plagg? You were right all along, I messed things up real bad. I should've stayed away from her as Chat Noir, and now I don't know how to make things right between us without losing her in the process. Or even worse, hurt her."

A grinning and full of himself kwami sat down on his right calf, resting against his left knee. "I'm always right. You should've known better by now."

"But what now? My brain's a hopeless mess. At school, Adrien can't even manage to tear his stare off her. It's so bad that even teachers are beginning to ask me about it. Whenever there's an akuma, the only thing on Chat's mind is to pounce on Ladybug. We were lucky the Scribe was an easy one, because, with my state of mind, and how much she looked distracted, we could've easily both ended up dead."

Plagg shrugged. "The answer's easier than you think. Reveal yourself to her."

Adrien shook his head vehemently, refusing to even consider it. "But what if she's disappointed? She doesn't even like me anymore... I foolishly made her fall in love with Chat Noir instead of me..."

Plagg smiled softly. "She did have a crush on Adrien at some point. Surely those feelings can't be gone forever."

"I don't know about that, Plagg. She hit me as a rather whole person. She loves or she hates. No in-betweens."

"I still say you should try to talk to her."

Adrien shrugged. "And tell her what? Hey there, princess, I'm hopelessly in love with both you and Ladybug, and I just found out you're the same person. I know you once had a crush on Adrien, and yet you slept with Chat Noir. Surprise! We're one! Wanna marry me?"

The black deity laughed humorlessly. "With a speech that lame, she would probably refuse to even speak to you ever again and send you home with your tail between your legs."

Adrien clutched his pillow to his face, grunting. "See? That's why I didn't tell her anything."

Fed up, Plagg reluctantly concluded, "Your choices are rather simple, Adrien. I don't care how you do it or what you say to her. Tell her, or I will."

The blond knew that Plagg was right. This had been going on for way too long.

"Alright, alright, I'll go tonight. But if she hates me for it you're facing two months of cheap cheddar."

"Deal."

* * *

Marinette was sound asleep when a soft thud on the skylight made her shift in her dreams. Another and a louder thud was enough to wake her up for good. Still drowsy, she made her way to unlatch it, and her confusion only deepened when she was greeted by the sight of a slightly bashful feline superhero.

"Chat? What time is it? Is there something wrong?"

Worry swiftly claimed his beautiful face. "Did I wake you up? Sorry, princess, it's barely even nine o'clock, and you're usually such a night owl, I didn't think..."

Her gaze softened considerably. "I actually took your advice and went to bed early. You know, to catch up yesterday's lack of sleep."

Chat Noir felt his skin burn under her allusions, their current position kneeling in her bed certainly not helping. "Sorry I woke you up, then. I won't be long, I just wanted to chat a little."

"Oh, off with the lame puns already. I thought you said you wouldn't stop by tonight. What are you really here for?"

He pulled her close into a tight hug, terrified of all the wrong directions this conversation could take. "I-I think we have to talk."

She chuckled lightly, teasingly kissing the line of his jaw. "Yeah, you already said that."

He grabbed her wrists, stopping her from wrapping her arms around his neck. "I'm serious, Mari."

She took a step back, not quite sure about how to deal with this new side of Chat Noir, up until then unknown to her. He was so different from the carefree, silly Chat she had fallen in love with that she didn't even know how to act around him. Taken aback by the sudden change of attitude, so soon after their first night together, and slightly still sleepy, she flinched away from him unwillingly, not commenting on the hurt she saw crossing his green eyes. "Alright. Talk, then."

Chat gulped painfully. He had known from the start this little chat wouldn't be easy, but she wasn't anywhere near as receptive as he had hoped she'd be. "I want-wait no, I need you to know who I am."

Marinette blinked twice. "No."

"But, Mari-" his tone was pleading, begging.

"No. I don't want to know."

Chat sighed, lunging forward and grabbing her hand, stroking the side of her thumb mindlessly with his. "Purrincess... please... I've been going crazy all day, seeing you from afar without being allowed to touch you."

Marinette frowned, unable to keep the disapproval from her voice. "That's already way too much information Chat Noir. You mean we're both going to the same school?"

He nodded slowly, hoping to break the barriers she had raised between them, her resistance.

She shrugged in defeat. "Figures, we must be about the same age too."

"I'm eighteen, if you must really know."

A quirky smile spread on her lips despite the lingering tension in her room. "Great. So you're not some kind of freak that fantasize on younger girls, then."

Chat sighed. "I'm not, but I could very well be a psychopath, a murderer, a pervert, a huge jerk sleeping with a different girl every night for all you know about me."

"Are you?"

Chat sighed impatiently. "No, but that's beside the point."

Marinette frowned. "Where are you going with this, Chat?"

"Told you. I need you to know who I am behind the mask."

Marinette crossed her arms on her chest, shaking her head stubbornly. "No, Chat. That's too dangerous, for both of us."

He grabbed her hand, desperate by this point. "Don't you want to get married someday? Have kids? How is it gonna work if you don't know my real identity, if I'm only around in the suit? Marinette Noir doesn't sound quite good, and besides I'm not sure superheroes are allowed to wed."

She snorted. "Let's not get carried away, alright? We've been... whatever it it we are only for a few weeks now. I don't think there's wedding material yet, nor grounds for any baby talk."

"Stilll..."

Marinette sighed. "I just hope that if we make it that far, Hawkmoth will be long defeated by then and it'll be perfectly safe for you to reveal yourself to me."

"But, Mari..."

She turned away from him. "No, Chat. What if Hawkmoth finds out? I'm already a weakness for you as it is, let's not make it worse, okay? Our little midnight rendezvous are risky enough for me, thank you very much. Did you even talk with Ladybug about this?"

They both knew the answer to that question. He peered into her blue gaze. "This is solely between you and me."

He was playing with words and he knew it perfectly. But he couldn't bring himself to blatantly lie to her, so his only option was to twist the truth to his advantage.

"And what about your feelings for her?"

He could tell she was fishing, trying to buy time. To distract him from his original goal. He could see without a doubt that she genuinely didn't want him to reveal himself, so he just shrugged. "My heart is yours. Entirely yours."

He had known pretty well that things were most likely to go this way. It was time to switch to plan B, even if he had wholeheartedly hoped to avoid it. "I'm going to respect your wish, princess, even if it breaks my heart. However, this is not the sole reason I came by tonight."

She looked at him, curiosity written all over her face. "What is it, Chat?"

"I have a monstrous mountain of homework piled up on my desk. I may be unable to drop by for a while, and I didn't want you to worry about me."

She hugged him tight, resting her head on his collarbone. "That's alright, I understand. Thanks for the warning. To be honest, I have a great deal of homework that desperately needs my attention too. Especially in physics, where I don't seem to understand a thing."

He kissed her softly, a quick peck on the lips full of nothing, making a mental note to offer help in physics as Adrien. "I'll miss you, princess."

"Will you text me?"

He smiled sheepishly at her earnest demand, very well aware that he had no intention to. "I'll try."

With a last empty kiss, he let himself out of her trap door. Out of her life.

And with a little luck, out of her heart.


	14. Chapter 14: The Bride

Once the leather-clad boy had disappeared into the quiet evening and the skylight was secured closed behind him, Marinette slowly turned to her emerging kwami, worry washing over her like a tidal wave. "Do you think I did anything wrong, Tikki? Why would he suddenly push me away like that?"

Her little red friend chuckled reassuringly. "Marinette, he tried to reveal himself to you. He heavily insisted on it. If anything, you were the one to push him away tonight. I think he wants a real relationship with you, without his mask getting in the way."

The young lady sighed dejectedly, looking at her trap door, a deep longing for her silly kitty omnipresent in her gaze. "I felt that too, but it's way too dangerous… I… If someone notices him visiting every single night it's going to bad enough. We can't risk him being seen arriving as Chat Noir and then being whoever he is in my room. Besides, I thought he still looked really preoccupied tonight. I think something's bothering him."

"Did it ever occurred to you that maybe you are what's on his mind? That he might be just as scared as you are about what's happening between you two?"

"Why would the great Chat Noir be scared of kissing a girl?" mused Marinette out loud.

Tikki chuckled softly. "You really think that's all there is between you two? Kisses? Can you honestly tell me you don't harbor any feelings toward your partner, Marinette?"

The young woman huffed. "I already told you about that, Tikki. I think I might just be in love with him. But I don't get why he would be scared of what's between us."

"Think about it the other way around. How do you feel about him finding out that you are Ladybug?"

Tikki knew she had gotten her point across when her charge suddenly fell silent, suddenly absorbed in the contemplation of her blankets.

"And yet, he was willing to show you his real face tonight, so you two could build a relationship together on a healthy basis. So no, I don't think you did anything to scare him away, apart perhaps from refusing to let him to do so. You're overthinking all of this, Marinette. Just give him time to sort it all out, like he so kindly asked you to, and use that time to overcome your own insecurities."

Marinette grunted impatiently. "But I miss him already!"

The red kwami burst out laughing. "You're only eighteen, Marinette! You have all of your lives ahead of you once you finally stop dancing around each other!"

"But-"

"No buts, young lady," Tikki cut her off. "Now, you're going right back to sleep, and we'll overthink this as much as you want tomorrow morning."

* * *

True to his words, Chat Noir didn't come back the day after. Nor the day after that one.

Days of absence quickly turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months.

Soon enough, it had been roughly two months since Marinette had managed to get her hands on Chat Noir as herself. She did receive a message from his staff from time to time, but he kept telling her he was too busy to drop by her place. He had assured her more than once it had nothing to do with his feelings towards her, but that he'd completely understand if she'd move on.

But moving on wasn't even an option for her. Apparently, the saying that absence makes the heart grow fonder was every bit true.

Thinking about him, thinking back about what they had done to each other that fateful night got her weak to the knees. Thinking about his kisses, about his voice, about his touch on her skin was driving her crazy. She missed him so bad it ached just to think about her dear kitty, but Marinette feared that if she started putting pressure on him to see him again, he'd just bail out on her and never come back at all. It didn't help that akuma attacks were scarce during that time, so she didn't spend much more time with him as her heroic alter-ego.

To add to her already very full plate, it seemed Adrien had made it his personal mission to get as close as humanly possible to her. He spent every possible free second of every day with her, chatting about just about anything, carrying her stuff between classes and treating her to lunch every now and then. He openly acted like he was actively pursuing her, and it confused her way more than she'd care to admit out loud, even to Tikki.

So it was very welcome when she heard a blood-curdling scream coming from outside the school. She could very well use the distraction and almost ran toward the danger.

* * *

Adrien was going insane.

Spending so much time with her every single day yet without being allowed to kiss her, to touch her, to tell her how much he adored her, was slowly but surely breaking his mind piece by piece. All of his body ached for her, and the only thing restraining him from telling her everything right on the spot was the gut-clenching fear of losing her for good if he did so against her will.

So he tried to be patient. He kept texting her with Chat's phone every now and then, his answers shorts and empty, telling her over and over again his schedule was so hectic he barely even had time to sleep. He kept hoping that time would drive her away painlessly from his heroic counterpart. And that hopefully she'd then be able to open her heart again to him as Adrien.

But the wait, the longing, was slowly but surely taking its toll on him. Every fiber of his being desperately missed her and her everlasting lack of response to his romantic pursuit as Adrien was beginning to drive him crazy.

But he couldn't bring himself to stop trying.

He loved her so much it scared him if he was to be entirely honest with himself, but he was willing to do anything in order to be with her, the right way this time around. Even if it meant losing his mind.

Nonetheless, he was going mad waiting for a sign, anything to encourage him to take their relationship further as Marinette and Adrien, but it never seemed to come.

So when he heard the ear-piercing scream coming from the street, he didn't even bother finding a plausible excuse for his sudden absence. He just bolted through the door without so much as a second thought, all too happy to join her in the only aspect of their relationship that wasn't weird already, as Ladybug and Chat Noir.

He couldn't have been more wrong in his whole life.

* * *

It was the first akuma they had gotten in over six weeks, and when he spotted her from afar, crouched on the roof of some building, scanning Paris' streets trying to localize the akumatized citizen, his heart came to a stop in his chest. It wasn't the first akuma since he realized who she really was, but this time around, he had gotten time to wrap his mind around it.

How could he have been so blind? The same blue-black pigtails, the same cerulean blue piercing yet soft gaze. The same kindness and selflessness oozing from every single pore of her porcelain skin. Both of her personas were so brave, righteous, witty, curious, and amazing in their own way that he didn't quite understand how he didn't make the connection before.

But now, boy did he, and he had to remind himself constantly that she didn't know Marinette and Ladybug were one and only woman in his mind, one wonderful girl who he was head over heels for. Otherwise, he'd pounce on her right then, kissing her senseless, and whatever the akuma was would be left alone dealing with itself on its own.

Instead, he landed softly beside her, forcing a friendly greeting in his voice. "Glad to see you, m'lady. Been a while."

She stiffened upon hearing his voice but smiled back. He was unable to tell if she too was feeling the electricity between them. "Hi, Chaton. Still, haven't found it."

The air thickened, the tension in the air almost palpable. Chat Noir grunted quietly, forcing himself to focus on the task at hand.

Suddenly, another blood-curdling screech pierced the silence of the peaceful afternoon. "Men of Paris, fear my wrath! You shall suffer at the hands of the Bride just like the worthless pieces of shit you all are!"

"Gotcha," they whispered in sync. Trying to ignore the everlasting tension between them, Ladybug swung her yo-yo toward the lean lady wearing a beautiful wedding dress made of sparkling white lace clinging prettily at her torso, and a skirt that surely would have been gorgeous if someone hadn't ripped it to tatters just below her knees. She wore high heeled blood red shoes and a shredded black wedding veil that hid most of her facial features. From what Chat could see from where he was trying to follow his Lady, the face of the akumatized citizen was covered in smudged makeup, dark streaks of mascara going down her cheeks. Her hair was tucked back in a complicated bun, with some flowers tucked into it. It was clear even to a clueless young adult that today had been supposed her special day, and that something had gone very wrong.

Chat Noir followed Ladybug closely, propelling himself with his baton, his gaze never leaving the Bride. He had to find the akuma at all costs. Scanning it relentlessly, he finally noticed a big diamond shining on her left hand, but it had a strange vibe like it wasn't as bright as it should have been. He caught up with the beautiful lady running in front of him and nudged her softly. "M'lady, look at her ring."

Ladybug stopped dead her tracks, causing him to involuntary trip over his feet. "You're right, Chat. Something's off with it. You know the drill?"

He chuckled, happy to resume their usual dynamic. "I distract her, you work your magic."

"Game on, kitty."

* * *

This felt right.

Alright, him distracting the akuma while she was trying to restrain herself from pouncing on him and kissing him until they both forgot their very names wasn't the ideal situation. But fighting with him just felt right in some weird way nonetheless.

The Bride suddenly grabbed the arm of an unsuspecting male citizen, who got instantly turned into a salt statue. Worry quickly washed over her. "Chat, whatever you do, don't ever touch her. We don't want you turning into one of those, right?"

He giggled, easily and recklessly dodging an attack from the akumatized woman. "Don't you worry Lady, I'm gonna watch my paws-"

However, as soon as the words left his lips, the Bride somehow managed to get her sorrowful hands on him, instantly turning the feline into a salt statue as she had done to every man that had been unfortunate enough to cross her path that day. Ladybug groaned, refusing to admit defeat already. "Don't you worry, Chat. I'm gonna make it all right."

A very weird lucky charm later (how exactly was a life-sized doll of Chat Noir supposed to help her?) she managed to swing herself above the bride, dropping the doll in a fashion that made it seem like Chat Noir had jumped before the akumatized citizen. It confused the Bride only one split-second, but it was more than enough for Ladybug to pounce and snatch her ring from her unsuspecting finger. She was able without any real struggle to cure the akumatized engagement ring, and then use her magic to return things to their previous state, Chat's salt statue along with every man unlucky enough to have been at the wrong place at the wrong moment returning to a very living state in the process.

Seeing Chat slowly unfreeze and smile at her sheepishly made her heart come to a stop. She wasn't ready to talk to Chat Noir, not yet.

So instead, she vanished into the night, leaving a very confused Chat Noir dealing on his own with the press and a poor bride left alone at the altar. She left him clueless and fidgeting to find an excuse to explain to the media why she, Ladybug, and disappeared without even a smile or even the ghost of an explanation.


	15. Chapter 15: Burning flame

After the defeat of the Bride, a few uneventful days passed, much to Marinette's relief. She honestly had fully expected Chat Noir to try and relentlessly harass her on her patrol, trying to pry out of her why the hell she had disappeared on him on the last akuma attack. Surprisingly enough, he hadn't shown up on her patrol days and didn't go out of his way to talk to her on their joint patrol. He remained painfully professional, getting the job done, but their friendship, their laughs, their playful banter had disappeared. And to her complete and sheer horror, Marinette felt relieved about it. Like the distance he had put between them would somehow protect her shameful secret.

Because she had absolutely no clue what excuse she may give him should he come to ask about it someday. 'I'm really sorry, Kitty, I thought an akuma would distract me from all that hopeless pining for you, but all I could think about all through the fight was all the sinful things I desperately wanted to do to you. I was afraid it'd show, so I took off without warning. As you're not aware of sleeping with me eight weeks ago, it would have made things really awkward between us, don't you think?' didn't hit her like a tellable explanation for her weird behavior toward him, even if it was the sheer and brutal truth.

Marinette still dreaded the day where he would finally question her about it, though, knowing very well that her silly kitty wasn't anywhere near oblivious enough to have failed to notice her inner struggling.

However, with Chat Noir luckily leaving Ladybug alone for the time being and unluckily still going strong with his plan of holding up on his late night visits to Marinette, it left her plenty of time to focus on other long-neglected aspects of her life. Like all the classes she was certainly going to fail if she didn't put a real effort in it really soon. So the young woman began spending more and more time all by herself, going through long overdue homework, studying, and reading, hopefully saving herself from the utter shame of having to retake some classes. Marinette was quick to realize focusing on school work had the bonus advantage of being true alone time, since studying somehow usually seemed a good pretext to keep Adrien at bay, leaving her plenty of room to think about anything but him and Chat Noir.

Or so she naively thought.

* * *

Sitting on her own in the back of the school library, Marinette felt herself on the verge of smacking her head on her desk, hopefully hard enough to knock her out cold until next year. What she had told Chat Noir a few weeks prior was absolutely no lie: she utterly didn't understand a single thing in physics, and was lamely failing this class faster than you could even say Ladybug. How in the world was she able to save Paris before lunch time and going back to school afterwards time and time again without ever failing, but she couldn't for the life of her even be able to wrap her mind around simple physics concepts despite how truly hard she tried?

Sure, she was very aware that Adrien was pretty good with sciences and would much likely be willing to tutor her considering all the time he had been really adamant to spend with her over the last few months, but she just couldn't bring herself to ask him out of all people for help. After all, hiding in the library had been a (so far successful) tentative to escape from his constant and confusing attentions. So instead of caving in to the most easy option, she just sighed in desperation, leaving her forehead heavily rest on the cold wooden desk, hoping with all her might that somehow that would help her textbook miraculously makes sense.

"Hey, Mari, need help on that assignment maybe?"

The familiar voice startled her so much she honestly thought her heart had suddenly stopped beating for a split-second, and she jumped back, sending her physics book flying to the floor in the process and knocking her head back on the desk behind her. "A-Adrien! You scared the life out of me! And my next two along with it, I think!"

He smiled rather sheepishly, an expression oddly familiar to her on his face, scratching the back of his head, looking very uneasy. "I'm really sorry, Mari, I didn't intend to scare you. I just came to pick up some book," he said, gesturing to the volume held in his hands. "And I spotted you all by yourself, buried under your physics textbook and looking more lost than a puppy in a bowling alley."

Marinette sighed in defeat. "Yeah, I guess I am lost... No matter how hard I try, I just don't get it. I'm going to fail this class. It's all a mystery to me, none of it even makes sense."

He chuckled lightly and sat beside her without waiting to be invited, retrieving her book from the floor and opening it in front of her to the lesson they had to work on that week, pointing to the current page gently. "It's not that complicated, you'll see. Once you understand that..."

And with that he was launched. He spent their whole lunch hour explaining the lesson, going over her notes with her and correcting small mistakes she had made while jotting them down, trying to understand the notions that escaped her, drawing graphics for her to help her visualize some more abstract concepts, giving her a few tricks to remember complex formulas. When the bell rang way too soon, the previous confusion had almost completely left her blue gaze, replaced with a very welcome comprehension. While she gathered her things, Marinette smiled warmly at him despite her inner turmoil, thankful he had offered his help after all. "Thanks Adrien, maybe I still stand a chance at this after all."

"No problem, the pleasure's all mine. I love this stuff. I would love to teach it someday actually, so see it as a good practice for me?"

He trailed off, looking at his feet. "Mari? Mind if I walk you to class? Feels like I haven't seen you around much lately."

Taken aback by his earnest voice, Marinette just reverted to stuttering. "W-w-what? N-n-no, I don't mind at all."

* * *

It had been almost three months now.

Three whole long months of sheer torture, seeing her every single day, talking to her, laughing with her without being able to touch her again, to kiss her like he was desperately aching to. Nino kept pestering him to know what was wrong with him and photographers had begun to complain about his lack of focus. But how could he explain to anyone other than Plagg what was truly going on? That he was dying to feel the warmth of her body pressed against his, to hear her voice whispering his name in his ear?

That the three months he had spent trying to push her into Adrien's eager arms, to make her forget everything about Chat Noir were driving him over the edge?

He had foolishly thought he was doing pretty okay without her, but in this very moment, at that very second, standing so close to her on the library staircase, he realized that he was completely lost. Lost, and desperate.

Marinette was looking at him eagerly, standing up beside the desk they had worked on, her hands clutching at her backpack, obviously waiting for an answer to a question he hadn't heard, busy as he was staring at her. He peered into her perfect blue gaze, trying to figure out what it was exactly that she was waiting for from him.

Marinette repeated her question softly, without sounding impatient or even remotely annoyed. "I asked if you were okay. You seemed… kinda lost in thoughts just then."

Adrien felt like his heart just had melted a little more in his chest. Always the selfless, incredibly thoughtful Marinette. Three months of longing after her beloved that just disappeared without much explanation, just to have her former crush jump on pursuing her like she was some kind of golden prize to win (which she was to him) probably had taken its toll on her if her recent withdrawal of social interactions was anything to go by. But here she was nonetheless, thinking of Adrien's well-being before her own, just in Marinette's true fashion.

Adrien sighed, unhappy with himself that she had noticed his mood change. "I'll be fine. I just have a lot on my mind actually, to be perfectly honest with you. Don't worry about it."

She just smiled at him, in that perfect smile of hers that made him want to find a way to permanently fix it on her so beautiful face. "It's perfectly fine."

The young woman readjusted the strap of her backpack on her shoulder, sending a whiff of her perfume toward him. She smelled so good. A perfect mix of sweet and spicy. She smelled like butter and cinnamon, like nutmeg and cream. She went on, oblivious to the odd way Adrien was glaring at her like she was a high-potency drug to which he was already tremendously addicted. "Actually, I understand. I'm going through a lot myself, and-"

He heard her words, but couldn't pay any attention to them. He was absorbed in the contemplation of her perfect pink lips despite his better judgment. His mind wandered with a will of its own, remembering her hands roaming on his skin in the dark, the sensation of her lips on the tender flesh of his neck, her breathy moans into his ear for him only to hear. Images of her beautiful body sprawled out on her bed flashed back at the forefront of his thoughts, memories of her labored breathing as she had reached her climax under him. Unable to think clearly, he lost it. The next thing he knew, his fingers moved on their own accord, pulling her closer to him, ignoring her soft squeal of surprise, his lips brushing against hers tentatively at first, then feverishly when she didn't push him away. Without even being able to breathe properly anymore, Adrien tangled his fingers in her silky black strands, his hands freely roaming on her hips, stroking the small of her back trying to bring her closer to him in every way he could.

Through his dazed state, he faintly registered her melting into his arms, leaning into his kiss in a way he couldn't even imagine she would respond even in his craziest fantasies about that moment. He felt her lips caressing his own, her arms safely locked around his neck.

* * *

Marinette's brain had stopped working. This was the only plausible explanation for what was happening right now.

She was kissing him back fiercely, pulling him as close to her as she could, tugging on his shoulders to bring him closer to her, to breathe the same oxygen he did, her train of thoughts reduced to a mere foggy blur.

That's only when she felt his tongue shyly brushing her bottom lip, asking for entrance, that she brutally snapped back to reality.

This was wrong. It felt good alright but it was very wrong. He wasn't Chat Noir. Even if he felt oddly familiar, even if the kiss was bringing back pleasant memories of other kisses in the darkness of her bedroom, the man currently holding her tight against his chest wasn't her beloved missing kitty.

She broke free from the kiss abruptly, jerking away from Adrien like he was a burning flame. "I-I'm sorry, I-"

She didn't even know what to say, where to begin.

So instead, she ran, hot tears streaming down her cheeks.

* * *

Adrien stood behind completely stunned, lips a little swollen from the kiss, hair messed up, his stare utterly blank. He saw it. When she had broken away from his embrace, he had seen the pain in her eyes, the guilt painfully clenching her gut, how her lips trembled.

Unable to refrain from kissing her, he had done exactly what he had been trying to avoid for the past three months: he had hurt her.

A very pleased with himself Plagg flew into view, snickering out loud. "Congratulations, Adrien, you broke the poor thing."

For once, the young man didn't argue back or shush his kwami.

For Plagg was very likely right.


	16. Chapter 16: Broken hearts

Chat Noir was very aware that what he was doing was a very, very stupid mistake. Plagg had made that very clear before being reluctantly tugged into the ring, and even without the whiny objections of the kwami, the young hero was painfully conscious of the possible consequences of his presence on that rooftop. True, Plagg was most likely perfectly right and neither he could envision any positive outcome coming from where he was standing, but he just couldn't help himself. He had to see her.

Still, he knew. He knew that he shouldn't have been there, crouching on her neighbor's roof, intently watching the lights in her room, desperately trying to catch a single glimpse of her. He knew that he shouldn't have been peeking through her window in a vain attempt at reassuring him, at seeing if she was alright after all. But he simply couldn't bring himself to care no matter how hard he tried.

Because the truth was that Chat Noir was worried sick about Marinette.

The young woman had spent the remaining of the day carefully (and to his utter dismay, very successfully) avoiding Adrien. He had tried in vain all day to corner her alone, wanting to apologize for his very inappropriate behavior toward her in the library, to salvage whatever was left of their friendship after the stupid stunt he had pulled on her. But every time the blond had finally managed to catch a glimpse of her she had vanished in the blink of an eye, without any of their classmates seemingly knowing where the hell she might have disappeared to. Alya and Nino had grown suspicious with him rather quickly, the latter pestering him non-stop to know what in the world could've happened between the pair to warrant such an uncharacteristic behavior while the former kept glaring at him throughout the day. His last hope had been their last class of the day, which they had together, but Marinette came in late and sat beside Nathanael instead of her usual spot, making it impossible for Adrien to even catch her eye. As soon as the bell had rung she had bolted through the door before he even had time to react. Desperate by then, he had begged his driver to stop by the bakery after school, but her mother had refused to let him see her, stating she wasn't feeling too well.

So Adrien, against his better judgment and the very well voiced reluctance of an overly annoyed Plagg, had resolved to visit her as his heroic alter-ego that night. Even if in the end it erased the three long and painful months of distance he had excruciatingly tried to put between them.

He needed to check on her, to know for sure how much damage he had stupidly done to the person that meant the most to him.

And now, as the young hero was going mad with concern, she was nowhere to be seen from the window in her room. Marinette wasn't reading or doodling in her lawn chair like she had been for the past few weeks, while he had been watching her fondly from afar (no matter how Plagg had insisted it was creepy and stalkerish). A painful lump forming in his throat, he braced himself for the worst. He grabbed his staff and vaulted himself onto her balcony. Kneeling before her skylight, he knocked softly on the panel like he had done countless times before.

"Mari, it's me. I heard that you're not feeling well. Please, let me in."

Chat Noir distinctly heard hasty shuffling inside her bedroom, followed by the familiar creaking of the panel opening. She poked her head out of the skylight, clutching the handle with her right hand as her other one was bundled up over her heart.

And Chat instantly froze.

He had been very aware that she was really upset about what had unfolded in the library earlier that day, so a part of him had been fully prepared to find her sick with disgust, insanely mad at Adrien for the nerve he had had to force himself on her like that. Another (admittedly huge) part of him had hoped to find her confused, feelings for Adrien resurfacing and hopefully overshadowing what she felt towards Chat, but he knew that was only wishful thinking on his part. In fact, he had been ready for anything.

Anything but this.

Marinette's beautiful face was utterly ravaged with salty streaks, her eyes red and puffy, still full of unshed tears. Her breathing was labored and erratic, and she was now clutching both of her hands to her heart desperately, as if she was trying to keep it still. Chat Noir felt the lump in his throat grow a few inches bigger. Was he such a horrible kisser that just one kiss had put her in so much distress? She had never voiced any complaints when he was kissing her as Chat Noir!

Pushing his misplaced wonderings at the back of his mind, Chat Noir focused on his broken princess. She looked so vulnerable, so desperate that he couldn't help but sit on the floor beside the skylight and pull her into his lap, gently stroking her hair in a soothing manner, trying to calm her down. She sobbed softly into the leather, burying her face into his chest. The rational part of his mind still in working order was screaming to let go of her, and leave before causing anymore damage to her heart than he had already done. But he just couldn't abandon her when he was the cause of her distress.

"Hey... It's alright, purrincess."

She shook her head. "C-C-Chat... A... Adrien kissed… he kissed me today."

The way Marinette had pronounced the words, the sheer and blatant guilt oozing out of every word startled him. The part of her face still visible from him was wincing like she was bracing herself for the worst. But why?

It suddenly dawned on him. "Princess? Are you upset because of me?"

She shyly nodded without looking at him, sniffling in his chest. "I don't want to hurt you."

To be honest, Chat Noir had been fully expecting her to go on a lengthy ramble about what had happened earlier. How quiet she was, how much careful of her words, spoke volumes to him. He gently lifted her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes and giving her a small peck on the lips. "As much as it pains me to say so, princess, I have no claim on you whatsoever. We didn't put any label on us yet, did we?"

'Us? Yet?' Marinette thought, taken aback.

She didn't get the chance to answer, though, as Chat kissed her forehead lightly once again, before resuming his train of thought, hugging her tighter. "I certainly don't like the idea of another man kissing you, don't get me wrong on that, princess. But I have absolutely no right being angry at you, or making you feel guilty about it."

This time, she leaned into the kiss he placed upon her lips, pressing herself against him, relishing into his scent. When he broke apart, she smiled at him shyly, eyes subdued, cupping his cheek with the hand that wasn't busy clutching his shirt. "I'd like that very much."

"What now?" the hero asked absentmindedly. Another kiss. Chat Noir's brain was brightly flashing red, trying to warn him about the dangerous territory he had wandered into. He should be pushing her towards Adrien, not kissing her into oblivion and keeping her lithe body close to his chest. He could practically taste her tears on his tongue, tears he had heartlessly caused her to shed, and he just wanted more than he ever wanted anything to avoid hurting her further than she already was, all thanks to his recklessness.

Her whispered answer was the end of his resolve, "Labels."

He nibbled on her earlobe softly, eliciting a little but fierce moan from her, and the feline grinned into their embrace. "Mine. My Marinette," Chat Noir said breathily, almost too faintly for her to hear it. She did, though, and sighed contently.

"My Kitty."

He kissed her again, both their heart beating furiously. She rested her head on his collarbone, closing her eyes. "I missed you so much, Kitty."

She felt his arms slightly tightening their grip around her. "I missed you too. Every day away from you was a true torture."

"I thought you were seeing me at school?" she giggled softly in his arms.

"It's not the same."

A shiver ran through her, and he realized the weather was very cold for the number of layers she had on. "Let's get you inside before you freeze to death, alright, m'lady?"

He realized his slip-up as soon as he felt her tense up in his arms.

She ripped herself away from him harshly, and looked at him with so many pent up emotion in her blue gaze it hurt him to the core. "When did you find out?" her tone was cold, bitter.

He knew very well that it was no use trying to play dumb or deny the obvious truth. So he instead tried to soften the blow. "Mari, let me explain."

He reached for her hand, but she just flinched away from his reach.

"When. Did. You. Find. Out?" Marinette hammered every word. Tears were welling up again in her eyes, and she was violently shaking. Chat Noir backed up, defeated, bowing his head down.

"I've had suspicions for a while now and..."

"WHEN?" she shrieked, her fists curled up on her sides, not giving a damn if anybody heard her.

This couldn't be happening. At this very moment, he knew without a doubt that he was on the very verge of losing her. Without any chance whatsoever of ever getting her back.

So he simply sighed, hoping that long overdue honesty would somehow save him from his impending doom. "While you were on vacation with Adrien. Right after the akuma attack. Y-Your shirt was soaked with blood. That's when I started having doubts."

She jolted further away from him, if it was humanly possible, a thick wall building between them, and her absence made his heart ache in a way he didn't know was possible before that precise second. "I knew it. I fucking knew it. It was never about me, you never loved me. You never stopped loving Ladybug . THIS WAS ALL A TWISTED GAME TO GET IN HER PANTS."

Tears were rolling freely on the young hero's cheeks now and he didn't care. All he wanted was to erase the pure hatred he could read in her eyes, to retrieve the loving and caring gaze she always had when she looked at him. "Mari, please, give me a chance to expl-"

"Get out," she cut him off, turning herself away from him, crossing her arms on her chest just like she was trying to hold herself together. He tried to catch her wrist, force her to look at him. Surely she would see all the things he wasn't able to tell her in his eyes, if only she'd looked at him.

"Mari..."

He was begging, craving for her to just look at him. To see how much he needed her, and only her.

"GET. OUT."

He turned around, his very heart and soul crushed. He put his foot on the railing, and just before he sent an impulse to his legs to jump away, he heard her add, with her voice as cold as ice could get, breaking him even further than she already had with seven little words, "I never want to see your face again."

* * *

When Chat Noir landed on top of his mansion that night, he stumbled onto his bed, detransformed, and dissolved into quiet sobs in his pillow. Plagg landed beside his head, a deep frown on his little face. "I did warn you this would happen, Adrien."

"Shut up, Plagg."

The little black god sighed. "Adrien, please. Talk to me."

His holder turned around to face him, his cheeks wet with tears, his eyes already swollen. "I lost her. She hates Chat Noir now, and she despises Adrien. You were right all along."

For the first time since they had met, Plagg didn't answer at that affirmation or try to make a sarcastic retort. He could see just how much Adrien was hurting, and it scared him beyond reason. So instead, he did what he thought Tikki would have done in similar circumstances: he hugged awkwardly hugged the cheek of the young man and listened cautiously as he sobbed himself to sleep.

If one could hear the sound of a broken heart, there were two hearts in Paris that night making quite a ruckus.


	17. Chapter 17: Distressed state

The next morning, Marinette woke up feeling groggy and disoriented. After painfully extracting herself from her bed, she dragged herself disheartenedly to the bathroom. A single glance into the mirror confirmed what she already knew: she looked awful. She had slept maybe a grand total of an hour or so, earning herself rather dark and large bags under her eyes. Said eyes were still swollen from the night's crying, and her cheeks were stained by the unending flow of tears that had only subdued in the wee hours of the morning. She was even paler than usual, her complexion somewhat waxy. Suppressing a loud groan, the young woman washed her face with slow, calculated movements, hoping to regain a semblance of composure in front of her parents.

It became clear quite soon that she had miserably failed, though, seeing that the second she had stepped a toe into the kitchen she was met with a loud and worried gasp and instantly wrapped into a tight motherly hug. Something in her eyes must've given her away to the perceptive woman, considering the way she held her daughter tight, gently drawing circles on her back. "What's wrong honey? What happened to break your heart like that?"

Something snapped inside Marinette hearing those words. Her mother's acceptance of her distress, her quiet and loving understanding shattered the fragile facade the young woman had been able to maintain ever since she had woken up. She dissolved into a mess of tears and stutters into her mother's arms, sobbing uncontrollably, all thoughts of hiding her pain long gone.

When he came back up from the bakery where he had been busy preparing for the long day ahead of him in the shop, Tom found them like that, embracing each other curled up on their kitchen floor. His daughter's face was buried in his wife's stomach, her little shoulders violently shaken with her frantic sobs as she clung desperately to her mother's shirt. Sabine was stroking her hair gently, whispering gentle reassuring words, peppering feather-light kisses on the crown of her head. His father's heart shattering into a million pieces, he kneeled beside the two beings the most important to him and wrapped his arms around them both, holding them to his chest in a tender embrace.

For the second time that day, her parents' love and presence were her undoing. A dam broke inside her, and words came spilling, unbidden, freeing. Hiccupping through her sobs, she told them about Adrien kissing her in the school's library, told her about how it had confused her way more than she was willing to admit. She told them about the friend she had been so sure loved her for herself and finally turned out to be in love with only one side of her. She told them everything she could without telling them about her double identity, and exactly who the boy she had fallen out of love with Adrien for was. And yet, despite the obvious holes in her story, Tom and Sabine understood her pain, her very broken heart. They didn't press further, didn't question her, instead listening intently as their daughter willingly shared what she could with them.

Seeing the distressed state Marinette was in, they decided it would be inhumane to send her to school like that. Sabine called Mr. Damoclès, explaining him that Marinette wasn't feeling well and would be back as soon as her state would make it possible. When the young woman voiced worries about falling behind on school work, her father shrugged and offered to drop by the school and collect her assignments for the week.

When it became clear that her parents weren't going to back down and let her go to school in the state she was currently in, Marinette gave in. If she had to be honest, she didn't felt strong enough to face her classmates, not even speaking of looking Adrien in the eye. Surrendering to their logical arguments and concern for her wellbeing, she hugged them tightly one last time before retreating to her room to try and get some rest, despite her heart being heavy with misery.

* * *

Adrien didn't show up at school the next day. Nino texted him for an explanation, but the only answer he received was a simple, "Haven't slept." Never before had his friend been that short and straightforward with him, so the young DJ chose to let him be, and hopefully get some rest.

The day after, though, when his friend exited the usual silver luxury car and climbed the school's step with his head bowed down, his shoulders slumped and his face pale, it was clear something was very wrong with the blond model. Worried sick with his best friend, Nino tried to intercept him before he entered the building, only to be brushed off harshly, Adrien never even meeting his gaze.

Something was really wrong with him.

* * *

Adrien sorrowfully contemplated Marinette's empty seat, his stomach stuck somewhere in his throat. Her absence somehow made their fallout even more real, more painful. Pulling himself together for the sake of the show, the blond reluctantly leaned toward her best friend, afraid to hear her answer. "Hey Alya, where's Marinette? Running late again?"

She shook her head, eying him warily. "Nope. You just missed her dad actually, he came to get her things. Apparently, she's kinda sick and probably won't show up at all this week. Why do you ask? Do you know something I don't?"

He sighed. If only she knew the full extent of that statement. "I think I've messed things up really bad with her."

Alya steel glare softened instantly. "Don't worry too much about it. Short of being a creepy stalker or torturing a kitten in front of her, you should be okay. She won't be able to stay mad for long, after all, we're talking about you."

He stared at her in disbelief. "What's so special about me? She's in love with someone else, not me."

Alya chuckled lightly. "Feelings don't have an off switch, Adrien. She has been head over heels for you for the last four years, even though you somehow was oblivious enough to skip over that. Even if she's with someone else, I know for sure that you'll always have a special place in her heart. Besides, even if you two never end up dating against all odds, you both became quite close friends lately. She still cares about you a lot."

"I don't deserve her to."

His tone was gloomier than he had intended. Alya patted his hand reassuringly. "Mari tends to wear her heart on her sleeve and she can get pretty intense sometimes. I know for a fact that pushing her feelings for you aside to let Mystery Man in took its toll on her, and you didn't make things easy on her by suddenly insisting on spending so much time with her. But she'll come around eventually. Just give her time and space to sort her feelings out."

Adrien just couldn't believe how Alya could be so understanding toward him. "Shouldn't you be mad at me that I upset her?"

She shrugged. "Don't get me wrong, if you ever hurt her I'm going to end you. However, right now you two aren't dating, which means you probably just had a fight about something. I'm sure you guys will work your way around it sooner or later. Nino and I fight all the time, but it doesn't mean we aren't happy together."

Her boyfriend cheerfully chimed in at that. "Right. After all, silly fights put some very welcomed action in our relationship. Haven't you heard about makeup hookups?"

Alya chuckled lightly, while Adrien mused silently about what she had just told him.

* * *

Very much later that day, Marinette heard without a single doubt the distinct knock on the skylight, prompting her blood to freeze in her veins. Before she even had time to choose whether to unlock the door or ignore it, her cell phone vibrated on her desk.

"Akuma. Balcony. Don't worry about suffering the sight of me."

A huge lump in her throat, she made her way to her balcony, her heart full of apprehensions. As promised, she found a small glass jar imprisoning a purple butterfly sitting on the floor, merely inches away from her face. She sighed in relief, unsure on how to feel about the whole ordeal. Chat quite visibly had to face an akumatized citizen all by himself, which made an insufferable guilt crawl up her throat. He also took her at her very word when she had stated she didn't want to see his face again, which she wasn't quite sure yet if it was a good thing or not.

She quickly asked Tikki to transform her on the spot and tried to overlook how hard, how unnatural it seemed to be this time around. Once she finally successfully transformed, she cured the akuma very laboriously and released the transformation almost immediately, not acknowledging how nerve-wracking it had seemed to be both to her and her kwami.

* * *

The week went on with Marinette still hiding at home, refusing to open her door to anyone, even Alya, who was beginning to doubt her best friend's parents when they assured her that their daughter would be quite fine.

Every single night after school, without fail, on his way home, Adrien would stop by the bakery, hoping in vain that her parents would finally let him in, give him a chance to see her, to explain everything to her. And every single night, without fail, Sabine and Tom would shake their head, looking genuinely sorry for the young man. Marinette wanted to be left alone and had clearly stated she didn't want to see him, or any blond boy for that matter. So every night, her parents sent him home empty-handed, and his heart heavier than before in his chest every time.

He then patrolled Paris alone as Chat Noir every night after his curfew. Transforming suddenly felt strenuous, exhausting, and on a few occasions, he had trouble keeping it up long enough to come back home. But he went on anyway. He had to.

Another akuma attack later that week left him bruised and badly wounded, but he took it in as his punishment for hurting her out of all people, the love of his life. He left the akuma on her balcony again like he had previously done, not even bothering to knock on the skylight this time, his text message even shorter than it had been before.

"Akuma. Already gone."

And unlike the last time, he didn't stick around on some remote rooftop to try and catch a desperate glimpse of her. He went straight back home, scared that his transformation would drop unexpectedly along the way like it had seemed to do more and more frequently lately.

Once he finally made it home, he buried himself in his bed, quietly crying himself to sleep, not aware of just how much trouble Marinette had meanwhile simply to transform to be able to cure the akuma.

* * *

Way later that night, when both of them had finally cried themselves to sleep, a very worried Tikki zipped through Marinette's window without looking back, heading for the Agreste mansion. She softly knocked on the window of Adrien's room, and Plagg, who had already felt the overwhelming presence of his soulmate, was quick to join her outside, fearing they would wake his pupil if they talked inside.

He was also the first one to voice his concerns out loud. "This is very bad, Tikki, I can barely keep him transformed. You have to talk to Marinette and make her forgive him. He's miserable without her."

Tikki sighed deeply, her beautiful blue eyes full of sorrows. "I know, Plagg. Marinette's not doing any better. Tonight, I was barely able to transform her at all, let alone cure the akuma. I honestly fear there won't be a next time."

The black cat deity shook his head forcefully. "There must be a way to reconcile them. Adrien really didn't mean any harm to her."

"I know that, but she's utterly convinced that Chat Noir only took interest in her because he knew that she was Ladybug."

Plagg gritted his teeth angrily. "I told the kid this would happen, and he didn't listen to me."

Tikki smiled softly. "They're only kids, they're bound to make silly mistakes."

A few minutes of silence went by, as the two deities mused silently over the events of the past week. Tikki was the first one to break the silence. "I'll try to talk Marinette into listening to whatever Adrien has to say to her. Maybe it'll be enough to fix things up."

Plagg retorted harshly, "If you weren't so keen on secret identities, we wouldn't even be here tonight. They would be happily loving each other, and everything would be disgustingly alright."

"We aren't supposed to interfere in any possible way, Plagg, and you're perfectly aware of that. Besides, this time around it isn't my doing. Marinette wants her secret safe to protect her parents and Alya. Can you respect that?"

He grunted unhappily. "I can, but meanwhile, Adrien is going mad with sadness. He's nothing without her."

Tikki smiled knowingly. "You deeply care about this one, don't you?"

Plagg looked away, sadness, regret, and something else she didn't know overfilling his gaze. "Adrien's special. He truly deserves to be happy. I don't want to lose him like I did the others."

The luck deity lovingly hugged her counterpart, trying awkwardly to comfort him. "Let's just hope this time, neither of us do."


	18. Chapter 18: Fate and destiny

The next morning, Adrien was rather brutally woken up by a very displeased Plagg pouring a glass of ice cold water on his head:

"Wake up, Romeo. This has gone way too far. You're gonna get yourself killed if you keep this charade up."

The young man groaned, burying his face in his pillow. "Leave me alone. I'm okay, Plagg."

"No, you're not. I'm not even sure I'll be able to transform you once again. Every akuma you fight alone is a chance on a silver platter given to Hawkmoth to remove your miraculous from your bloody corpse."

"What can I do about it? It's not like I can force her to forgive me, or stop loving her all of a sudden."

Plagg snorted in disbelief. "You're not even trying to fix things at all, you just keep weeping all by yourself."

"SHUT UP!" Adrien jerked upright in his bed, blind with anger.

Plagg was deliberately playing on his holder's sensitive nerves, pushing his buttons. He was tired of tears and waiting for a miracle to happen. He wanted to act, and fast before things got anymore out of hand. "Just tell her everything already, so we can move on from this shit!"

"How? She won't listen to me, she won't even see me!"

The black kwami smiled mischievously. "Well then, find another way to tell her what you have to say."

* * *

Marinette suffered a very similar wake-up, with Tikki throwing various things at her until she finally stirred up of her sleep. She rubbed her eyes, staring at her kwami in disbelief. "What the heck, Tikki? What has gotten into you?"

The red kwami stopped mid-flight, crossing her arms on her chest. "I've had enough of all this, Marinette! This must stop, and this must stop NOW."

To say Marinette was taken aback with the angry outburst of her spotted friend would be an understatement. This was the first time ever Tikki acted any less than kind and understanding with her, and she didn't like it. "W-What?"

Tikki finally landed on her knee, a disapproving scowl plastered on her face. "I've put up wordlessly with your useless weeping all week. You've done nothing for the past seven days safe from bathing in your own sorrows. I've warned you, Marinette. I probably won't be able to even transform you again. You have to do something about this. Fix it!"

Marinette looked away. "I don't know how! How can we even go back to being partners?"

Her small friend shook her head angrily. "Try. You'll find a way."

* * *

That fateful Sunday evening, Adrien found himself reluctantly knocking on her parents' door once again, begging them shamelessly to let him see her, to give him a chance to explain himself. Her dad sighed, feeling genuinely sorry for the poor boy who visibly cared deeply for his daughter. "Son, she was very, very clear. She doesn't want to see you."

Adrien sighed. He knew all too well that was the answer he was going to get considering it had been the same one he had gotten all week, but he was also perfectly aware that Plagg wouldn't leave him alone if he didn't really try. "I know, and I wanna patch things up with her. This is a huge misunderstanding, and I want to make it up to her. I'd do anything for a chance to talk to her."

Sabine shook her head, a sad knowing smile on her lips. "I'm sorry, but she's been locked up in her room for the last seven whole days now, I don't think I can do anything to change her mind."

Adrien absorbed himself in the contemplation of the tip of his shoes, Plagg's words playing on repeat in his mind. "Well... could you... Do you think you could at least tell her something for me?"

It was his last strand, the last thing he was willing to try before giving up to preserve his own sanity.

Tom smiled at him warmly. He really liked that kid, and truly felt sorry for him. "Sure thing, son. What do you want us to tell her?"

The blond model gathered his courage and forced himself to look at the man before him in the eyes, even if he were a nervous wreck. He wanted him to believe him without a single doubt, to see the sincerity in his own eyes. "Please tell her that I want her to know what a beautiful girl I think she is, inside and out. That I want her to know that I understand why she's upset, but I need her to know I like the whole of her personality, just like she is. I like everything about her and wouldn't want her to change anything at all. She's perfect."

"Son, maybe you should tell her your-", Tom tried to cut him off, but Adrien was oblivious to his surroundings, caught up in her heartfelt confession.

"Tell her that I like the way she always put her friend's well-being before her own, that I like the cute way she is clumsy and yet so passionate about just everything that matters to her. That I like the way she stutters when she's nervous, the sound of her laugh, the way her marvelous blue eyes shine when she's happy."

"Adrien, listen, she is-"

But he didn't listen. He went on, a fiery blush spreading on his cheeks. He didn't care, he had to get it off his chest. "Please, please tell her I love her for seeing the man I am behind the mask."

He didn't hear the muffled gasp from the attic stairs when he said "love," but Tom and Sabine definitely did.

"Tell her that I love her for caring about me, for seeing more to me than my pretty face and my dad's cash." At this point of his speech, he began to tear up. "Please tell her that I love her. And that I miss her."

A heavy silence welcomed his last sentence. When he finally got himself enough courage to look up again, Marinette's parents were smiling. Grinning even. Sabine put a hand on his shoulder and smiled widely. "You just did, young man."

"W-What?"

And that's when he saw her.

Half crouching on the higher steps of the stairs, Marinette was clasping her left hand against her mouth, while the right one was clutching for dear life the railing of the stair. She wasn't moving any muscle, like she was frozen there. Her father patted Adrien lightly on the shoulder. "We're gonna give you some... privacy. Don't hesitate if you need anything."

And with that, her parents were out the kitchen, leaving a stunned Adrien and an obviously upset Marinette alone.

Once down in the bakery, out of earshot, Sabine hugged her husband, chuckling to herself. "That's all, honey? No talk about not hurting your princess and such?"

Tom kissed his wife on the cheek, unable to stop smiling. "No need. You saw it too, don't try to fool me. He's a good kid. He will never hurt her on purpose."

"What makes you say that?"

Tom hugged his wife tightly, inhaling her scent. "He looks at her the same way I've been looking at you for the past twenty-two years."

* * *

Marinette was still staring at Adrien like a deer in headlights, not even daring to move a toe. The young man awkwardly took a step toward her, eager to ease the awkwardness. "Mari-Marinette? How much did you hear?"

Her knuckles whitened against the railing. "Enough."

Her voice was neither cold nor welcoming. He didn't know where he was standing with her. Was she still mad at him for the kiss? Did she figure out he was Chat Noir, hence being mad at both of them all at once? "Can I-?"

She bounced down the stairs, and in a second she was standing right in front of him, her menacing finger poking his chest aggressively. "What the fuck is wrong with you guys?"

He blinked, taken aback with her sudden rush of violence. "W-What?"

She didn't even listen, ablaze with pure anger. "First Chat Noir toys with my heart and my brain like he's playing some kind of twisted game..."

Her scent was intoxicating. She was standing so close to him he'd only have to lean in a little to ravish her raspberry lips.

"Then you kiss me out of nowhere, after blissfully ignoring my very existence for almost FOUR YEARS."

He had trouble concentrate on the words she was half yelling at him. He only could focus on not kissing her right on the spot, and it was quite a herculean task in itself.

"If it wasn't enough, YOU also stop by EVERY fucking night to ask my parents to let you see me even though they told you that I want nothing more to do with you..."

A few inches. That was the only thing keeping him from tasting her, claiming her as his.

"And to top it all, you have the nerve to come into MY home declaring to MY PARENTS that you LOVE me?"

God, she was so close. Merely an inch separated their lips. He was dizzy from the smell of her shampoo. She was shrieking now, but he didn't make out words out of what she was saying.

"What's wrong with you? You thought that with Chat Noir out of the picture I'd become an easy target?"

That was it. She was so close to him that he could feel her pulse on his chest, as unsteady as his.

He lost it.

In one swift movement, his lips were on hers, fierce and demanding, hot and soft, wet and rough. He had dreamt for the past months or so of doing this, ravishing her just like that. She stiffened into his arms, but he deepened the embrace, his hands in her back holding her against him, keeping her close to him like he was scared she would fly away.

And damn was he scared.

Stopping to gather her breath, Marinette pulled away a little, suddenly feeling lightheaded. "W-what-"

"I love you," he cut her off before claiming her lips once again, hungry for more of her. Marinette tried to pull away, struggling to get her thoughts straight.

"But-"

"I love you," he repeated, nuzzling his nose into her neck, before kissing her again ever so gently.

Marinette tried to shake her head clear. "You don't even make any sense, Adrien. You kissed me once, that's all. There's nothing more to us. There's certainly no love."

He flinched. Her words harshly stung his heart, but he had to remind himself that she wasn't aware, let alone see, of the bigger picture.

He chuckled softly, cupping her cheek with his hand, resting his forehead against her. "There is so much more to us, princess."

Marinette's heart skipped a beat and her eyes grew wide when she heard the pet name he just gave her. In answer, he gave her a huge and slightly sheepish grin very, very Chat-like.

Could it be?

She took her time to really look at him, to carefully analyze his features, taking in every small detail about him. Seeking similarities. Sure, there was the obvious clues. They were both blond, green-eyed, and... well, she had to admit they both had chiseled musculature that would make any girl drool and any boy green with envy. But surely there were plenty of men in Paris that matched that description as well, right?

Studying Adrien's face closely, she noticed he had big dark bags under his green eyes like he hadn't slept at all for days. Like he had spent his nights roaming Paris' streets on lonely patrols... A wide bruise spread on his shoulder, showing past his shirt collar. His already pale complexion looked even whiter than usually, making him seem sick. His blond hair was a complete mess, and it was clear his current hairstyle only matched his overall feeling. He looked like he had been to hell and back. She noticed his familiar silver ring on his right hand, and couldn't help but wonder…

"Why do you keep calling me princess? The only other person in this world that does that is-"

She was cut off by a very loud crash and the unsettling sound of Tikki suddenly screeching upstairs.


	19. Chapter 19: Both of you

Upon hearing the loud and impromptu ruckus coming from her room, the blood suddenly ran cold in Marinette's veins. Scenarios crazier than the other playing on repeat in her anxious mind, the young lady made the easiest choice of her entire life right there and then. What if Hawkmoth had finally found out Ladybug's civilian identity and had come to abduct her precious kwami? What if some idiot bird had somehow found its way into her bedroom and had mistaken the small red magical being for its lunch? Secrets identities be damned, Marinette instantly rushed upstairs without skipping a single heartbeat, completely ignoring Adrien being hot on her trail. Nothing mattered to her anymore from that second apart from Tikki's safety.

However, the scene waiting for both of them as they burst through the trapdoor wasn't something either of them could've possibly imagined. Both teens stood dumbfounded with wide eyes and jaws slightly slack from astonishment for a moment before the very singular sight, a once in a lifetime occasion, to say the very least.

Entangled on Marinette's bedroom floor, stuck under Tikki's handmade bed that had very likely fallen from its designated shelf, taking both them and the shelf itself in its fall, were lying awkwardly Tikki and another small creature, about the same size but completely black with very catlike features. Pointy black ears, greenish beady eyes and sporting cute small whiskers, he even donned the cutest of cat tails she had ever seen before.

"I'm really sorry, Marinette, Plagg and I intended to give you kids some privacy and it kinda went awry. We truly didn't mean to disrupt you." Tikki said sheepishly, all the while trying with next to nothing results to get herself out of her precarious position and smiling apologetically at her charge.

Marinette kneeled wordlessly beside the pair of distressed kwamis to help them separate their hopelessly intertwined limbs, her movements somewhat mechanical and a little twitchy. Her expression still blank, the young lady got up once she had successfully freed the magical beings and put back the shelf and Tikki's small bed where it rightfully belonged, her mind visibly madly going at full speed. Adrien could tell she was struggling against the shreds of evidence, refusing to put two and two together, and that she was quickly losing the fight. After all, how else could she explain why there were two kwamis in her room?

The young woman was standing in the middle of her room, her head bowed down, her shoulders tensed and her fists clenched at her sides. Her breathing was laborious and she was carefully avoiding meeting Adrien's eyes, hiding behind a curtain of black hair just as if she needed time to process what was happening right before her eyes. He was standing still beside the trapdoor, waiting warily for the woman he loved to connect the painful dots. The blond felt his palms growing sweaty and his heart skipping a few beats. Wrapped into an uncomfortable and pregnant silence, Tikki, Plagg and Adrien all waited and watched Marinette helplessly as reality slowly sunk in. They almost heard a click when she finally brought herself to acknowledge the now very obvious.

She turned - rather calmly, given the circumstances - to face the little black kwami. "You are Chat Noir's kwami."

It wasn't a question, she was simply stating the fact as it was. Plagg flashed her his best smile, not that much unlike the maddening grin of the Cheshire cat she had grown to love so much. "It's a real pleasure to finally get to meet you properly, Marinette. I'm Plagg."

Marinette nodded slowly, her whole body tense as a guitar string, still unsure about how she was expected to react through this whole ordeal. She half-whispered, her head still hung low,"And if you're here, in my room, and there's obviously no one here besides Adrien and me, it must certainly mean..."

This time, it was Plagg's turn to nod eagerly, his grin widening even larger, something Adrien hadn't thought physically possible on his kwami's face.

Marinette's mind desperately tried to reel in the new information and all of its implications, as her nails painfully dug into her palms. Her entire relationship with the kind and selfless model she had been pining after for so long were suddenly taking a whole new meaning, a whole new lighting. As her brain was replaying the few last months events considering that valuable new piece of information, Marinette found her heart skipping a few beats in her chest against her will. Something dawned on her, and suddenly she shrieked loudly before turning to Adrien, anger returning full flare without prior notice. She poked him with an accusatory index in the chest repeatedly and aggressively, verbally and physically attacking him. "If YOU really ARE Chat Noir, it means you... you… we..."

Adrien had a little shameful and somewhat still shy smile. "I-I'm the one who made love to you that very memorable night, yes. A night I won't ever forget, that I can assure you."

Marinette fought the urge to scream at the top of her lungs with all her might. She felt trapped, fooled, and she had more and more trouble maintaining her composure. "Great. Freakin' fantastic."

She began restlessly pacing around her room, burying her anxious hands in her dark hair. She wasn't quite sure how to react to all of this. Hell, she didn't even know if she should be angry with him anymore!

Of course he was Chat Noir. Both boys overlapped in her mind, both men she had loved and cherished becoming an all new person she knew better than she had ever known them separately. Chat Noir's suspected loneliness was now obvious in the light of the reclusive life Adrien Agreste led. The boy's endless kindness was only outmatched by his alter-ego's selflessness. It explained the odd and sudden vacation at Gabriel Agreste's estate out of all places, the unexpected but welcomed apparition of her partner the night of the Gardener attack, why the hero kept appearing without fail on the nights something had happened during the day at school-

"Wait, why did you kiss me then? As Adrien?"

There it was again, the sheepish and regretful smile, making him look like a little boy caught red-handed with both hands in the cookie jar. "Well... It was a spur of the moment thing, to be perfectly honest. I couldn't stop thinking about the night we spent together, and then I found myself staring at your lips. I couldn't resist. Not my smoothest move, I admit, I'm really not proud of that one."

At this, her hesitation whether she should be angry with him or not instantly wavered. She was way beyond mad. "Do you know how it made me feel?" she snarled.

Adrien shook his head, looking miserable. "I can only imagine, and I'll never be able to tell you how much I'm sorry for putting you through this enough."

"Kissing you as Adrien made me feel something, so I felt like utter garbage. I thought you made me CHEAT on Chat, that I had betrayed him!" she hissed between her clenched teeth.

"Good thing you cheated on him with me, then. It did sting a little when you rejected me, though, even if I'd known the reason why all along."

She could tell he was trying to lighten her mood with lame jokes, but it was very obvious he was miserably failing. Marinette let herself drop on her couch trying to take it all in, her head resting between her hands. The world was spinning around her, and she felt on the very verge of fainting. She didn't even flinch when he sat next to her, looking at her face worriedly, gently stroking her knee with his thumb.

Adrien was Chat Noir. Chat Noir was Adrien.

Both of them claimed to be madly in love with her, but she just couldn't manage to wrap her mind around it.

They weren't in love with Marinette.

Something about this whole ordeal was still bugging her badly. "That doesn't solve anything. Chat Noir or Adrien, you're not in love with ME. You love Ladybug. You love the mask, the perfect girl that keeps saving Paris and that just isn't me. I'm just a clumsy girl that constantly make mistakes and can't manage to get to school on time."

He shrugged, scooting even closer to her and hesitantly reached for her hand before ultimately deciding against it. "I won't lie to you, Marinette. I've loved Ladybug since the very first day we met, and she was the only one in my heart for a very long time. How could I possibly feel the same about my shy classmate that never spoke full sentences to me? I didn't know you, Marinette. Until you let Chat Noir in your room one night. Then I was granted with the incredible chance to get to know an amazing girl, and you wormed your way further into my heart with every minute I got to spend with you. I fell in love with both of you. Up until a few weeks ago, it bothered me. Not anymore."

She snickered weakly, trying to reign in her emotions that were all over the place. "How so?"

Adrien eagerly took her hand, gently stroking her thumb with his own. She didn't shy away from his touch, and it made his heart jumped a beat. Maybe all wasn't lost after all.

"I wanted both of you, I loved both of you with every single fiber of my being. It drove me crazy, the way I couldn't get myself to stop thinking about her even though I was falling for you, Marinette, falling hard. It disgusted me to be this kind of guy, a jackass with a fickle heart bound to hurt every girl dumb enough to love him back. When I found out you were Ladybug, I wasn't disappointed, I was THRILLED."

She winced a little, shocked by his outburst. "Adri-"

He cut her off, way too much grateful to finally get a chance to say what was on his mind to let it go to waste. "Knowing that you out of all people are Ladybug felt like winning the lottery. It means that I'm not the two-faced jerk I thought I'd become. Loving you both means loving you whole. And that's what I always wanted. To love just about everything about someone. I meant every word of what I said to your parents. I didn't fall in love with you, Marinette. I walked into love with you, with my eyes wide open, choosing to take every step along the way. I do believe in fate and destiny, but I also believe we are only fated to do the things that we'd choose anyway. And I'd choose you; in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I'd find you and I'd choose you.***"

Placing a soft peck on her cheek, he drew back, giving her space to let it all sink in. She shook her head warily, refusing to let all those months of lies and twisted games with her heart be forgiven that easily.

"Adrien, you never thought about me this way before knowing that I'm Ladybug. I'm really sorry, I don't wanna seem to be overly suspicious, but I can't help but think you wouldn't ever have taken interest in me if I was only plain old Marinette instead of leading an exciting double-life."

Adrien chuckled lightly, a playful glint in his green eyes, and put his finger on her lips. "That's where you're dead wrong, princess. I've liked you for a very long time now. I was just too dumb to realize it. According to Nino, everyone in our class knew about my crush on you but me."

"But-"

"And I actually can prove to you that I already liked the pre-Ladybug you."

"W-What do you mean?" she stuttered, taken aback.

Adrien smiled warmly and put his phone in her hands. "Scroll down my SMS conversation with Nino until the night of the Akuma attack at the countryside house. Before the attack. Before you got the wound that got me suspicious."

Now curious, Marinette obliged, quickly swiping the conversation, noticing many lame puns and silly theories about Chloe being either a witch or a vampire along the way. She finally found the right date, and began reading.

[21:12] Nino: Hey man. How u doing?

[21:14] Adrien: Going crazy dude. SOS.

[21:15] Nino: What's up?

[21:15] Adrien: Can't stop thinking about her. Mari.

[21:17] Nino: What about Ladybug?

[21:18] Adrien: I know, so fucked up right now. Smiled at me when she left, and I can't stop thinking about her lips now. I think I'm gonna go mad. I wanna kiss her so bad. Cannot think about anything else.

[21:18] Nino: About time.

[21:19] Adrien : WTF?

[21:20] Nino: U like her since day one. Like, even Chloe noticed.

[21:21] Adrien: What? No!

[21:24] Nino: Dude. U smile like an idiot every time she smiles/laugh/talk/trip/move/breath. To be more obvious u'd have to wear a sign over your head.

[21:25] Adrien: That much?

[21:27] Nino: Go get her.

[21:27] Adrien: FUCK BRB

[21:30] Nino: Dude?

[21:37] Nino: Adrien?

[23:39] Nino: Dude r u alright? Called you 22 times now. Gonna call the cops if u don't reply in the next 5.

[23:40] Adrien: Back, sry. Akumatized neighbor.

[23:47] Nino: Woohoo! Some Ladybug time for little fanboy?

[23:48] Adrien: Not rly. Was way too worried about Mari.

[23:49] Nino: She okay?

[23:51] Adrien: Yeah checked on her. A little bit shaken, but I think she'll be fine.

[23:52] Nino: Aww 2 bad, u could've comforted her! *wink wink*

[23:53] Adrien: NINO! Not going to take advantage of her.

[23:56] Nino: Just saying.

When she put the phone down, indicating she had finished reading it all, Adrien pressed his forehead against hers, whispering tenderly, "What about you, princess? Can you love both the kitty and the boy?"

**Credits to Kiersten White for that awesome love declaration that fit the bill almost too perfectly!***


	20. Chapter 20: Craving skin

_********FAIR WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS AN EXPLICIT SCENE***********_

* * *

Marinette stayed silent for a few minutes, her head bowed down, her fingers intertwined with his in her lap. After a few minutes that felt like an eternity to him, she looked up to his green gaze, her own eyes glossy and her cheeks already wet with salty tears. "Silly kitty..."

Her whole demeanor had drastically changed by then. Whereas she had been outwardly hostile upon his earlier arrival at the bakery, her stance was now relaxed, her voice soft and caring, yet a little bit shaky.

Adrien had done it.

He had fallen for her. For Marinette.

She wasn't a sorry backup plan or a mere consolation prize. He really did love her, and only her. All of her.

And there she had to go and put him through hell. She had been way beyond unfair to him, letting her own silly insecurities cloud her judgment. She started to feel a little bit guilty, but shook it off quickly, refusing to let the guilt taint their moment.

After all, over the course of the last few months, they've both had their fair share of negative emotions to last them for a long while.

"My silly kitty..." she repeated, ever so gently cupping his face with both of her hands. Her beautiful bluebell eyes were shining with pent up emotions. Adrien read a little remnant of anger into them, a little bit of guilt, and most of all, love.

"I've had a ginormous crush on this boy for a very long time..." she half-whispered, her lips stretched into a somewhat sheepish smile.

Adrien smiled back in disbelief, leaning in to kiss her softly on the lips."That much, huh? Since when?"

She chuckled lightly and put her hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat going mad underneath her fingers. "Ever since I got stuck in your umbrella. That's when I heard you laugh for the first time."

His eyes widened with shock. "T-That was almost four years ago, Marinette! You've liked me for all this time? And never said anything about it?"

She nodded, a fiery blush now spreading on her cheeks.

The blonde pulled her into his lap, trailing feather-like kisses on her jaw and over her neck. "What about the kitty?"

She smiled fondly, leaning into his chest. "You made sure that I'd fall for him, hard. And I sure did."

All previous hesitations forgotten, Adrien kissed her properly then, his lips light and soft on hers, before burying his nose in her neck. "I love you, Marinette. More than my own life."

She kissed the top of his head before resting her own against his. "I love you too, Kitty."

* * *

When Sabine later went to check on them, getting somewhat worried as it was getting really late, she found the pair blissfully sound asleep on the couch curled up against each other. Adrien had wrapped his arms snugly around the lithe figure of her daughter, who was leaning on his chest, her head comfortably resting in the crook of his neck. They both seemed to be so peacefully sleeping she didn't have the heart to wake them up to make them move to the way more comfortable bed instead.

When she went back downstairs, Tom looked at her expectantly. "Well? Are they okay?"

The Asian woman smiled at her husband warmly. "Both of them are fast asleep. Hugging so tight it'd take us a crowbar to separate them."

The huge man smiled back. "Good thing I called his father's assistant earlier, then."

* * *

Somewhere along the night, in the wee hours of the morning, their rather uncomfortable position made Marinette unwillingly stir up from her dreams. She ever so gently woke Adrien up too, still half-asleep herself, and led the young man up to her bed. The last few weeks of restless nights had made them both way too wound up to think anything weird out of sharing the same bed, and Marinette deeply longed for the familiar comfort of her own bed replacing the weird and uncomfortable way they'd been intertwined on her couch. Even in their way beyond dazed state, she couldn't bring herself to let him lay awkwardly on the unfit piece of furniture on his own while her bed was more than wide enough to accommodate both of them anyway. He laid down beside her without offering any real resistance, his mind completely clouded with drowsiness, and she happily curled back up against his chest, his breathing quickly lulling her back to more than welcome slumber.

They slept better in these few hours than either of them had in the whole past week.

Sunrise eventually came, and Marinette felt the warmth of the sun on her face waking her slowly. She stretched her arms, welcoming the light of the beautiful morning greeting her outside her window. For the first time in a very long while, she felt at peace, soothed. She felt like every part of her, of her life had found its rightful place, and she reveled in the blissful yet unfamiliar feeling, letting it fully sink in.

When she finally opened her eyes, she was greeted by green irises gazing right into her soul. "Good morning, princess," he whispered tenderly.

A warm smile spread onto her lips. "Good morning, silly kitty."

Adrien raised a hand tentatively but hesitated and awkwardly let it drop to the mattress before reaching its destination, all of a sudden looking very uneasy. "C-Can I..."

Marinette frowned slightly, unsure of how to deal with his sudden change of mood. "What's the matter, Adrien?"

"Can I... Can I kiss you?"

She smiled warmly. "Please do."

He chuckled lightly, his sour mood already long gone.

To Marinette, it became clear rather quickly that all the young man had needed was her approval, a simple sign that he hadn't dreamt the events of the night before. Some sort of green light. So she leaned in to kiss him, aiming for a light peck on the lips, a little reminder of how much she loved him despite the regrettable events of the past months. She wanted him to know that they were still partners and that she was eager to fix their fragile bond. He leaned earnestly into her embrace and as soon as their lips touched, something sparked inside their wounded hearts. The kiss deepened quickly, becoming more and more heated by the second. The months apart had made them both desperately thirsty for the other's affection, literally aching for the other's touch. Marinette found herself dragged toward him like a drowning man to oxygen and she kissed him back fiercely, pouring all her love for the blond into her gestures.

"A-A-Adrien..." she moaned softly under his caresses.

His hands were slowly waking up, roaming over her body like they wanted to carve every curve, every line of her body into his mind. Daring fingers tentatively toyed with the hem of her shirt, too shy to remove it themselves. Reluctantly breaking their kiss for a second, she lifted it over her head and tossed it away before pressing her lips to his again. Marinette snaked her arms back around his neck, pulling him closer to her. Adrien groaned and cupped her breast with his right hand, the other slowly caressing her thigh over the thick fabric of her pants. Adrien broke their embrace to remove his own shirt, discarding it in one swift movement, and went back to her skin like it was catnip to him. He kissed her neck, and went down, kissing her collarbone, her shoulder, leaving a hot wet trail of kisses on her skin. He unclasped her bra, tossing it away impatiently before resuming his loving work.

Marinette arched her body into his, shivering with anticipation. There was nothing left in her universe but Adrien kissing, touching, biting, licking, and longingly exploring every single inch of her body with his mouth, his tongue, his hands. Everything else went to waste: superhero duties, school work, double identities... everything was quickly forgotten but Adrien's lips and tongue on her craving skin. His teeth found her nipples, his tongue playing with them lovingly until she moaned loudly, begging for more. She tugged on his hair, pressing her flesh against his. He went on with his exploration of her body, licking and kissing her abdomen, her navel. He unfastened the button of her pants, sliding them down her perfect legs, kissing every inch of them along the way. Her panties followed the same path promptly, and he drew back a little, contemplating the perfect picture before him. Suddenly very self-conscious under his scrutinizing gaze, Marinette tried to hide her bare breasts with her arms. Adrien stopped her. "Don't. You're beautiful. Magnificent."

She blushed deeply, but she abandoned hiding and instead reached to him for another kiss. He obliged happily, before returning to his study of her body.

With a movement that startled her, he coaxed her legs open with his strong yet loving arms, cupping her rump with both hands and lifted her hips to meet his emboldened mouth. With gentle, delicate flicks of his tongue, he toyed with the small bead of flesh that was quick to send her head spinning, clutching to his hair for dear life. His hands finally opened her, slowly, gradually, insistently. With his thumb, he softly spread the moistness around, grinning when it earned him a loud moan. He pushed one finger inside her, still licking and sucking on her clit, and he felt her nails digging into his scalp. Marinette was writhing under his caress, and, encouraged by her reactions, he pushed another finger inside her softness, eliciting more loud moans from her. Soon enough, she was shuddering uncontrollably under his touch, and he went back to her lips, kissing her like there was no tomorrow. She noticed, somewhere in her bliss, that he still had pants and boxers on while she was fully naked. She quickly remedied to the situation, unfastening his pants' button and sliding them down his legs, before discarding his boxers hastily. Once fully naked, Adrien stretched himself, crashing his lips onto hers.

Marinette smiled into the kiss, taking his scent in. Shyly, she reached for the soft head of his erection, tentatively lingering on it and exploring his length, running the delicate pads of her fingers over the heavily veined skin. She could feel herself blush, but feeling him grow even harder in her hand shot a raw dose of confidence in her. She squeezed instinctively, feeling his muscle throb against her palm, enticing her to tighten her grip.

"Mari... if we don't stop right now I won't be able..."

"Then don't."

He shook his head. "We shouldn't... I don't have any..."

She kissed him again, wanting, demanding. "I'm on the pill."

"But..."

He looked at her with heavy-lidded eyes. Was she really implying...?

"I trust you, Adrien."

That's all he needed. Without any further ceremony, he buried himself in her wetness, moving ever so gently inside her, pleasure slowly building up in them both. She gripped fiercely on his shoulders, throwing her head back as she squealed in delight, "A-A-ADRIEN!"

Hearing her moan his very own name instead of Chat's was quickly driving Adrien over the edge. He increased his pace, thrusting faster and harder, a wave of pleasure swiftly washing over them both. Marinette pulled him in for a deep kiss, bliss sending an earthquake through her loins, her whole body quivering as she reached her apex. He reached his own climax barely a second after, and let himself fall on her, his body resting heavily on hers.

She hugged him tightly, a loving kiss planted on his temple. Adrien smiled softly against her shoulder. "That was..."

"Incredible. Yeah."

He nibbled at her collarbone, unable to bring himself to let go of her just yet. She broke the comfortable silence a few minutes later. "I think I could use a shower."

Adrien snickered and stroked her bare arm lovingly. "Do you want any company?"

His lady wiggled her way out of the bed and quickly disappeared into the bathroom, giggling. "Not happening, Kitty, I don't want to spend the whole day in there!"

The young man leaned back on her mattress, a wide grin plastered on his face, his heart thumping loudly in his chest.


	21. Chapter 21: May or may not have

When Adrien finally emerged from Marinette's bedroom, after taking a pretty much-needed shower himself, she was already sitting at the kitchen table, talking and laughing with her parents. That struck a chord inside him more than he'd care to admit out loud. While the sight of his loved one being carefree, happy, and the sheer luck of being allowed to see her like that did warm his heart pleasantly, the sight of a united family definitely stung a little. He did remember blissful mornings not too unlike this one, but they went back so long ago that their memories were faded, leaving only vague impressions and feelings instead of clear images. The last family meal that he could recall distinctly went back way before his mother went missing.

As if he was reading his mind, Marinette's father spotted him awkwardly standing in the doorway and snapped him right out of his nostalgic thoughts. "Hey there, son. You hungry?"

Adrien shyly smiled back, a little uneasy by the sudden attention focused on him. "I don't want to be a bother, sir, I will just grab something on my way to school..."

Tom tossed him a whole plate of various baked goods and motioned for him to sit beside his daughter. "Nonsense. Now sit down and eat."

He obeyed a little bit too fast, sending Marinette into peals of laughter. "Dad! You're scaring him!"

The huge man looked sincerely contrite, an expression quite misplaced on such a mountain of kindness. "Oops. Not intended. Sorry, son."

Adrien smiled shyly, a hint of sadness in his eyes that wasn't lost on Sabine and Tom, even if he was looking fondly at their daughter. "Actually... This is very nice. Thanks a lot. I'm not quite used to eating breakfast with... people."

Tom shot a knowing look at his wife before putting his enormous hand on the young lad's shoulder. "Son, you're more than welcomed to spend the night here as often as you want. You'll always have a place at our table from now on. And if things were to get more serious with my lovely daughter..."

Marinette bolted from her seat, her face bright red up to the roots of her dark hair. "DAD."

"What? I've been eighteen and in love too! I know how those things work! We didn't order you on eBay, you know!"

Now Marinette was clutching her hands to her ears, even redder than before if it was possible. "Not listening, Dad! I don't wanna hear it!"

Tom laughed heartily at his gem of a daughter acting silly, then returned his attention to Adrien. "Anyway, what I was saying is when the day come, I'll sleep better knowing you're both safe and warm here."

Adrien was so shocked by the kindness and acceptance of Marinette's family that all he could utter was a weak and almost inaudible, "Wow... t-thanks, sir."

"No 'sir' for you, son. It's Tom and Sabine from now on."

This time, the blond's smile was genuine and without a hint of sorrow. "That really means the world to me. Thanks."

Sabine chimed in, patting his arm reassuringly. "Nobody should be left alone. Even a golden cage is nothing but a cage."

Adrien nodded pensively before eating a few bites of his delicious croissant with a newfound appetite.

God, he really loved the whole package deal that came with Marinette. Everything about her, from her double identity as Ladybug, her mind, body, and soul, her ups and downs, to her welcoming family, was totally wonderful.

And there he was, only having an estranged father and his cold assistant to offer her in exchange-

"Shit."

Sabine raised an eyebrow quizzically. She knew about his strict upbringing, so it was likely out of character for him to swear like that. "Is something wrong, Adrien?"

"Natalie will be mad! She must've spent the whole night trying to find me!"

Despair could very easily be heard in his voice. Consequences would be terrible if his father found out about his nightly escapades. So far he'd been able to them a secret by never leaving before 11 p.m., and being back before 5 a.m. But this time around, he had messed up badly.

"Relax, boy," Tom said while helping himself to another serving of chocolate croissant. "You've come to help Marinette catch up on school work. You were both way beyond exhausted, so we lent you the spare bedroom. We live closer to the school anyway, so it made sense you'd walk Mari to school this morning."

Marinette raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Dad, we don't have a spare bedroom."

"Right, but this... Natalie, am I right? doesn't know that."

Adrien's eyes widened. "You called her, si-Tom? You lied to her to cover up for me?"

"I did. Yesterday evening. Everything's fine."

He couldn't believe his luck. He had gotten to spend the night sleeping with his loved one, and he wasn't even in trouble for it. "How can I even thank you, s-s-Tom?"

"Make my little girl happy. That's all I ask."

Adrien grinned at that, seeing as it was what he fully intended to do anyway. "Fair enough."

The remaining of the breakfast seemed like a fantasy come true to Adrien. Being able to touch her, hold her, talk to her was enough of a dream in itself, but it now came with the privilege of sustaining a rather entertaining conversation with her parents and eating a delicious breakfast obviously made with a lot of love. All things he only could wishfully dream of, up until today. To him, this morning was by far the best he had in years.

Time to get ready for school quickly came, with a sour reality check of its own. "Shoot. Gotta head home, after all, I hadn't planned on staying the night, so I don't have any clean clothes to change into. Can you tell Mr. Lebel I'll be late, Mari?"

The young woman looked at him with a mischievous smile dancing on her lips. "Actually, I think I can help with that."

This time, both her parents and Adrien were astonished. "You do?"

Marinette grinned, happy with the little stunt she pulled. "Come upstairs, Kitty, I may have a thing or two that would fit you."

"Alright, but no pink!"

"No promises!" she replied, her laugh laced with true bliss. She took his hand and led him back upstairs, leaving her parents alone with their knowing smiles and happy whispers.

* * *

Once they got to her bedroom, she quickly dug herself in her wardrobe, obviously searching for something very specific. Leaning on her bed, Adrien felt comfortable enough, channeling a little of his Chat Noir persona, to tease her a little. "You really do have men's apparel in there?"

The sound of her voice was muffled by her fabric surroundings. "Not much, but some pieces. You remember making fun of me as Chat because of all the Adr-well, all the posters of you?"

He smiled fondly at that memory. The lie she had fed him then was so weak that he had known all along it was bullshit. "Yeah, I do recall seeing my sorry face everywhere in here at some point. And you trying to convince me it was for inspiration purposes only. I didn't buy it a single bit, but honestly I thought you only were a fan. Never brushed my mind that you could have a real crush on me. You still had troubles talking to me back then."

She blushed, grateful he wasn't able to see her face and mock her about it. "Don't remind me of that, that's mortifying. Anyway, when I told you I was using these images for inspiration and designing, I was only half lying."

"Huh?" Now he was really confused. How can you half lie about something?

"Found it!" He heard her little victory shout from deep in her closet. He sat back down, curious to see what she was so eager to find that would, according to her, fit him. She emerged from behind some dresses and feathers that menaced to trigger his allergies, something carefully tucked under her arm. "What I'm saying is that, through the years, I managed to have an overall guess of your measurements... Gauging you roughly at school, and with all the photo shoots in the magazines, it wasn't really hard to figure out your size. Every time I do men's apparel, I base them on you."

She handed him a neatly folded sweater, knitted in a soft, thin cotton yarn. It was black as the night can go, with a single stripe of green to complement his eyes circling the v-neck. The knitting was so even he had to double-check to make sure it wasn't a bought fabric instead.

"W-What's this?"

"This was meant to be your Christmas gift. I intended to knit another scarf to make a set, but here you go."

Adrien's face fell immediately. "Another scarf?"

Marinette started nervously fidgeting with her shirt, refusing to look at him. "Haven't said anything about a scarf, have I now?"

His stare darkened. "Mari. I think we can agree secrets don't do us any good."

"Y-yeah..."

He took her chin, gazing into her azure eyes. "What's this scarf story then? Why did you say another scarf?"

She looked at him, infinite sadness clouding her blue gaze. "Remember that blue wool scarf you received for your birthday a few years ago?"

Adrien nodded carefully, not sure how to deal with the change in her attitude. She looked so uneasy and pained that he wanted to hug her and comfort her. "The one my father got me? Sure, what about it? Did he ask you to make it for me?"

She shook her head, unable to look at his expression now. "No, he didn't. I spent weeks creating the design, then I knitted it for your birthday."

He looked utterly dumbfounded. "B-but... Mari, why didn't you say anything?"

She fidgeted with her signature pigtails, looking out the window instead of him. "I was planning to. In my excitement to get your gift to you, I forgot to sign it. The next day, at school, I intended to tell you it was from me... then I overheard you talking to Nino about how happy you were your dad had actually remembered your birthday that year. I couldn't bring myself to break your heart, and besides, it was more than enough for me. My gift had brought you happiness."

He stared at her for a moment, trying to process what she had just admitted. Could she really be reaching this level of perfect? "Mari, you really did knit that scarf for me?"

"Maybe."

"And you kept it hush just because I was thrilled to think my dad had bought it for me?"

She was turning her back to him, refusing to face him. He took the opportunity to dig in. "Is there anything else I should know, princess?"

He felt her tense even if she was a few feet away for him.

"Nothing. I don't have anything else to tell you, Adrien."

He got up, embracing her with his long and slender arms. "Don't be afraid, love. I won't mock you, I promise."

She buried her face in his chest, breathing heavily. Embarrassment was clouding her features. "I may, or may not have sent you a Valentine's Day unsigned poem three years ago."

His eyes widened, remembering the perfect response to his own poem, signed with a real ladybug no less. "That was you? Should've guessed it. After all, I put my draft in the class garbage can, so it was bound to be someone from our class. I don't know why I haven't thought about that before. Anything else, my lady?"

She tensed a little more. "I may or may not have left an embarrassing voicemail on your phone rambling about how hot you were and how I couldn't manage to say a sentence straight in front of you."

He chuckled, his nose buried deep in her hair. "Never got it."

"That's because I broke into the boys' locker room and erased it from your phone before you even got a chance to listen to it."

This time, his smile was a little dark, sad. "Mari... Why did you hide all of this from me all this time?"

She hugged him even tighter. "I was terrified you would reject me if you knew I liked you. Scared you would choose her over me."

He kissed her jaw, unable to back away from her. "Don't you think it would have saved us both time and pain?"

She shook her head. "Well, you really were already in love with Ladybug, Kitty. What good would it have done us?"

He hugged her tighter. "Maybe I would have got to know you better without resorting to visiting you as an alley cat. And fall in love with you all over again."

She blushed even deeper. "We can't change the past. I'm just happy you managed to get me to listen to you and knock some sense into that thick mind of mine."

He grabbed her chin softly, forcing her to look at him. "You were hurt, Marinette. Don't belittle yourself like that."

She nodded softly before planting a light tender kiss on his lips. "Alright, Kitty, let's get you dressed for school."

Adrien pulled the knitted sweater over his head, amazed at how light and breathable the fabric was. And of course, it fitted him like a glove.

"Wow, Mari. It's beautiful."

She blushed a little. "Thanks. I have some white and plain socks I can lend you, but you'll have the wear the jeans you had on, I have yet to make any man's pants."

"Not a problem."

When they went back downstairs, Sabine couldn't hold back an exclamation of admiration. "Look at that handsome young man! You made that shirt, Mari?"

"Yeah."

Tom grinned. "Those fingers of yours really are magical, honey."

Adrien nodded, intertwining his fingers with hers, and Marinette blushed deeply, her mind reeling with all the implications such comment could hold in the young man's head.

Oblivious to her embarrassment, her parents shoved lunch bags in their arms and urged them out the door, wishing them a good day, inviting Adrien for dinner along the way. Once outside, Marinette blinked, unsure of what had just happened. "W-What?"

Adrien laughed softly. "I think your parents just adopted me."

"I sure hope not, that would make us brother and sister."

"And we wouldn't want that," he retorted, pulling her to him for a light peck on the lips.

"Let's get you to school, Romeo."

Without even realizing it, he took her hand into his before leading the way, a smile never leaving his face.

He was finally happy.


	22. Chapter 22: Hand in hand

Marinette had fully expected Adrien to lay back on the affection touches once they'd be in plain sight, the pair being easy victims for any paparazzi looking for a juicy scoop. However, the young man surprised her by keeping her hand safely tucked into his own, walking close enough by her side for their proximity to being easily labeled as fully intentional. When he noticed that she was staring at their intertwined fingers with a little frown, the blond smiled. "Everything's okay, princess?"

Marinette smiled pensively. "I was sure you would want to keep our relationship a secret. And there you are, holding my hand down the street, walking not even a heartbeat away from me."

"Why would I ever want to hide the most beautiful thing that ever happened to me?" Adrien mused with a little smirk. "You know, my lady, the media used to speculate about my love life all the time and grant me love stories with every new upcoming actress or model to make the headlines. I wouldn't mind them being right for once. If you're comfortable with sharing the spotlight, of course. I realize it's not-"

"I don't mind," Marinette cut him off. "It's part of who you are, part of your life, and if being with you means nosy photographers, then so be it."

Bringing her hand to his lips, Adrien kissed her knuckles briefly before looking at her expectantly. "You know, you're taking all of this pretty well. I mean, I've had a few weeks to wrap my mind around the fact that both of the women I loved were the same person. You've barely had twelve hours, and yet you seem to be perfectly fine with all of this."

Marinette sighed lightly, looking at him from the corner of her blue gaze. "I'm not going to lie to you, some part of me is still sour about going mad pushing my feelings toward you away all for nothing. However… How much time over the last few years have you fantasized about what a relationship with Ladybug would be?"

The young man blushed deeply, suddenly averting her eyes. "A lot. Why?"

"Well, it's the same for me, although with you. I've long come to terms with the fact that dating Adrien Agreste, famous and incredibly popular supermodel, would have its unfortunate downsides." Marinette sighed again, squeezing his hand faintly. "I knew what I was walking into when I accepted your apology yesterday evening, Adrien. And when I asked you to kiss me this morning. I… To be honest, I'm scared as hell, scared our relationship will give fuel to Hawkmoth against us, scared you'll somehow end up disappointed with me and disappear from my life. But I also love you, love Adrien and Chat Noir with all my being… and it makes the fear worth every single second of it. I fell in love with Adrien almost four years ago, and with Chat Noir a few months ago… And despite everything that could possibly go wrong from us being together, I can't bring myself to regret anything. I… I just feel like us being together is just where we were meant to be all along."

The smile Adrien returned after her little heartfelt speech almost blinded her.

The young woman glanced back at their intertwined fingers and whispered softly, "Is everything alright?"

The blond barely shrugged. "As much as can be given the circumstances, my lady. In fact, I was musing about how totally perfect you were."

Marinette nudged him playfully, a tender smile never leaving her lips. He laughed in response, a fiery blush spread on his cheeks.

As the lovely pair resumed their walk to school, she gently squeezed his fingers, smiling at him fondly. "Hey, now that I'm no longer upset about when, can you tell me about how you found out?"

Adrien chuckled. "Well, after the Gardener attack, Plagg kept insisting on how much your injury looked just like the one Ladybug kinda lamely tried to hide from me-"

A small voice shrieked loudly from Marinette's purse. "Plagg did what now?"

Marinette instinctively pulled Adrien into an alley, opening her purse for Tikki and Plagg to come into view. "What's the matter, Tikki?"

If someone were to pass by and take a glance at the two teenagers, they would offer a rather odd view, both of them staring at Marinette's open bag, their heads almost touching as they hovered above it. Her little red friend looked utterly pissed, to say the least. "The fact of the matter is we aren't supposed to interfere at all in our chosen's business."

Plagg had the grace to smile sheepishly. "I didn't interfere... much."

Adrien smiled. "Well, to be honest, he did insist heavily on the similarities on your wounds..."

Marinette sighed warily. "That's all?"

"Actually, no. He's actually the one who came up with the weekend at the countryside house idea since I was struggling to find a way to help you as Adrien without it looking too suspicious, given that we weren't that close as our civilian selves back then. And while he did point out the wound and how you had nothing to do that far of Paris that night, stirring up doubts, I only knew for sure when he let slip Tikki's name while talking about Ladybug's kwami a few weeks later. It clicked that your so-called plushie I overheard you talking to a few weeks before was, in fact, your kwami, and everything else suddenly made sense. It's actually the night I showed up upset and we somehow ended up in your bed."

Tikki's reaction was instantaneous and rather loud for such a small being. "PLAGG! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?"

The little black kitty only managed to frown in answer, his cat ears flat on his head. "Is it so wrong of me to try and get at least one chosen that will get his happy ending instead of ending up dead or even worse?"

"PLAGG!"

Taken aback, Adrien barely managed to stutter. "W-w-w-hat d-d-does t-that even mean?"

Plagg sighed, his green eyes full of an emotion neither Marinette nor Adrien could define. "I have yet to get a Chat Noir to walk out of the final encounter in one piece. The few that survived the fight ended up throwing themselves off a bridge or wound up in an asylum. Choosing lonely and broken boys has its downsides. The price for their freedom is often way too much for them to pay."

Marinette eyed the young man cautiously, afraid to see worry and doubts creeping up his stare. She was surprised to read steel resolve in his expression.

"Well, then I'll be the first."

She smiled softly at him, patting his arm tenderly, and he resumed his train of thought.

"I'm not so lonely anymore. I may have a future with a beautiful lady laid before me, and I want it to happen more than anything else."

Marinette squeezed his hand and looked at Plagg, a reassuring smile on her lips. "Besides, I won't let anything happen to him. We're in this together, hand in hand, whatever the final outcome."

The little kwami smiled sadly in turn. "See, Tikki, I was right to push him towards her!"

Tikki crossed her little arms on her chest, shaking her head in disapproval. "Yeah, well we very narrowly avoided a total catastrophe. How did fighting the akumas alone and depressed go, Adrien?"

His smile fell. "It was way harder than ever before. I had to transform more than once on both encounters. Patrols were a challenge, too. I didn't make it home transformed all week."

"And how did curing the akumas on your own went, Marinette?"

She sighed deeply, knowing perfectly well where Tikki was headed. "I know. A depressed Ladybug is a useless Ladybug. I was barely even able to transform at all."

Plagg chimed in. "Please, please tell me that you managed to cure the akumas and that Adrien didn't get bruised and wounded all for nothing."

"Well, I did manage to in the end. But... to be perfectly honest, they seemed a little off."

Adrien frowned, looking at her quizzically. "Off? What do you mean?"

She looked at him dead in the eyes, something he wasn't used to yet as Adrien. "They lingered a little before flying away. They never do that."

Tikki poked her little head out of the purse. "What color were they, Marinette?"

Puzzled, the young woman tried to recall if something was off with their color. "White, I guess?"

"Sparkling white? Come on, you're an aspiring designer, you can do better than "white"." Tikki's tone was urgent, pressing.

"Well, now that you mention it... I blamed it on the lighting and didn't think anything about it until now, but the first one was a little bit off-white. The latest definitely had a grayish tone when it finally flew away."

Neither of them missed the worried glance exchanged between both kwamis. Adrien was the first to break the silence. "Why does it matter so much?"

Plagg frowned slightly. "There might be a small chance that they haven't been properly cleansed. And that they've gone into hiding, somewhere, gathering their strength, becoming even more powerful than they already were, waiting for an occasion to come back."

Marinette clasped her hand on her mouth, repressing a loud gasp. Adrien patted her back reassuringly while looking at the black deity. "What can we do about it?"

"There's nothing much to do but wait, and hope we're wrong and that Marinette somehow managed to cure them adequately despite the state of mind she was in."

"And if you're right, and they do come back, we'll defeat them again together as we always do. Right, Mari?"

She looked at her partner, her self-doubts wavering as she saw how much trust he put in them, in their teamwork. "Always, Kitty."

Tikki added, a motherly hint to her tone. "What we're trying to say is we can't afford to have you working separately anymore. You have to remain on speaking terms, at the very least, despite anything that could possibly happen between you two."

Marinette shook her head, resolve forming in her veins. "It won't happen ever again. I think we all can agree that hiding and refusing to confront each other about what was wrong didn't do any of us any good."

Plagg snorted. "It was out of sheer luck nothing really bad happened to Adrien while he was out there fighting without you. If he had gotten wounded to the point he was incapable of bringing the akuma to you, he could've bled to death on the street, and you wouldn't've been able to do anything about it. You two are meant to be a team, and it can't work any other way."

Adrien smiled fondly at the girl he had fallen in love with, caressing the back of her hand with his thumb. "Two halves of a greater whole."

She nudged him playfully, before looking serious all of a sudden. "I'm sorry I left you alone to deal with all this. I should've been there for you all along. As I'm meant to be."

Tikki and Plagg silently went back into hiding in her purse, and they resumed their walk to the school, Adrien carelessly lacing his fingers with hers. "That's okay, princess. You were hurt, heck, I was the one to hurt you. It was only fair that I suffered a little bit in exchange."

She shook her head, refusing to let his words hold any truth. "Still. You shouldn't have been forced to deal with two akumas on your own just because I was too stubborn to come out and help you all because of a stupid argument. Plagg's right, I could've lost you."

He kissed her fingers, refusing to let go of her hand. "Well, you didn't. I'm still very alive and breathing, and my heart still belongs to you and you only, m'lady."

She chuckled, pulling him close to her in a chaste kiss. "You do know I've dreamed about walking to school hand in hand with you for almost four years now?"

He grinned at her, his smile almost intoxicating. "It's never too late to make dreams come true, princess."

"Alya's gonna throw a fit when she founds out."

He smiled, imagining their respective best friends' reactions. "I think Nino's not gotta do any better."

"Well, we're about to find out for sure, school's right there."

And sure enough, they had already reached the front steps of their school, with a few minutes to spare. They sat down on the stairs, their fingers still intertwined, waiting for the bell to ring.


	23. Chapter 23: Carefully threaded lie

Adrien and Marinette had been chatting casually on the school steps for a few minutes when they heard a loud high-pitched squeal from the other side of the street, closely followed with Alya rushing toward them, a wide grin on her face, a Nino truly dumbfounded close on her heels. "Mari! I missed you so much! How did you manage to convince her to leave her lair, Adrien? Her parents wouldn't even let me see her!"

The blond blushed, suddenly very self-conscious of the proximity between himself and the object of his affections. "W-Well I-I..."

That's when Alya's scrutinizing gaze finally fell on their joined hands. Their fingers were still laced together in Marinette's lap, and he was gently stroking the side of her hand with his thumb. Not in a reassuring manner, as if he were trying to platonically comfort her. The gesture was full of tenderness. Of sheer love.

"OH – MY – GOD!" Alya squealed, tugging violently on Nino's sleeve: "Look, look! It's happening!"

Both Adrien and Marinette were now blushing furiously, neither of them quite appreciating the sudden and unwanted attention brought upon them. But still, he couldn't bring himself to let go of her hand; he was still too afraid she would fly away from him if he did. Marinette, however, while she didn't try to pull away from him, was quick to try and hush her obnoxious best friend. "Alya! The entire school doesn't need to know!"

The grin on the bespectacled girl grew even wider, "Hell yeah, the whole world needs to know about this, when did it finally happened? When did you two make it official?"

Both their faces fell, and they blushed even darker if it was humanly possible.

They both were painfully aware that their entire class was now staring at them, waiting a bit too avidly for their answer. Marinette reassuringly squeezed his fingers as she spoke, a new habit of hers he found himself quickly growing quite fond of. "W-w-e d-didn't discussed it yet, act-"

Seeing Marinette being so uneasy, so lost under all this unwanted attention, it made something snap inside him. 'To hell with it, they're already staring at us. I'll just give them what they want." With a flourish, Adrien reluctantly let go of her hand and shifted himself to land on one knee before the raven-haired girl, claiming her hand once more back in his, ignoring her suddenly panicked expression. "Mari, princess, will you grant me the honor of being mine?"

She chuckled, hiding her face with her free hand. Seeing him doing something so silly, yet so flamboyant made her wonder how she didn't see through the mask earlier. Right now, a lot of his Chat Noir persona was showing, and she couldn't help but marvel at how nobody else seemed to connect the obvious dots. She gazed into the green eyes she loved so much, for a second forgetting they weren't alone, and softly whispered, "Of course, silly."

A loud cheer erupted from their classmates as Adrien stretched himself to place a chaste peck on her smiling lips, and she could swear she even saw a teacher or two clapping happily.

He sat back beside her, taking her hand again, eyeing Alya who, of course, had filmed the whole thing. "Happy now? Is the show over?"

The brunette frowned, looking at some list on her phone. "Well no, now I've lost the bet."

Bemused, Adrien and Marinette stammered together, "T-T-The w-what now?"

Nino smiled, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "The bet. Going around for a little more than two years now. As to when you two will finally get together."

"Alright now, who took March 13th of this year?"

Before anyone could reply, Marinette jumped on her feet, glaring at her best friend with unconcealed fury, her fists tightly clenched at her sides. "Are you really making money out of this? So all my tears, all my self-doubt, all the times I was heartbroken over him, it was just a game to earn money for you?"

Alya snapped her attention back to her friend, noticing the shadow in her blue eyes, her lips stretched into a thin line. "Mari, don't be like that. Be a good sport."

Annoyed, Marinette asked, a little bit too harshly, "Be a good sport? When this is what you do with the things I confide in you? Run bets around the whole school? What else did you all bet on? Our first fight? Our first kiss? These things are private, Alya. While I'd be happy talking about them with my best friend, I'm not so sure I can trust you anymore."

Adrien watched wordlessly as the brunette visibly deflated, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Mari…"

"My love life is not a gamble, Alya. I really thought you valued our friendship more than this."

Marinette spun on her heels, violently shivering, and headed inside the school without looking back at her stunned friends. Adrien frowned slightly and got up too, looking at a defeated Alya, "Marinette's right, that wasn't cool at all."

"I know, I fucked up," was the shaky reply the blond managed to get from the aspirant reporter.

He couldn't bring himself to worry about Alya's obvious stifling guilt, though, his thoughts fully focused on his upset girlfriend. "I'll go after her, don't worry."

Breaking into a sprint, he finally caught up with Marinette inside their classroom and pulled her into a tight hug without giving her time to shy away from him.

She stiffened at first, but soon enough rested her head against his shoulder.

"What's wrong, princess?"

She sighed. "I feel betrayed. My very own best friend ran bets about our relationship, and it hurts like hell."

A sniffle behind them startled them apart, and Marinette found herself face to face with a sheepish Alya. "I-I'm sorry, Marinette. It was really disrespectful of me."

The brunette looked awful, her eyes full of unshed tears, her shoulders slumped and her head bowed down. Avoiding Marinette's eyes, she pushed a wad of cash into her hands. "We intended to give you guys half of the bet money to fund a nice date for both of you since we weren't sure Adrien's dad would let him spend any cash on anything fun… But what you said outside was true, Mari, it was wrong of us to meddle in your relationship. All of our class agreed you should get the whole sum as an apology from all of us."

A wave of sympathy washed over the superheroine. Of course, Alya didn't mean her any harm. She had simply been acting in true Alya fashion, hot-headed, passionate, and too enthusiastic.

She smiled despite the little remnants of her anger lingering, and pulled her friend to her, hugging her tightly. "It's okay, Alya, really. I know you didn't mean any harm, sorry for snapping."

Adrien patted the brunette on the shoulder. "And you should just give the money back to whoever bet on us. Mari and I will manage on our own, though we appreciate the thought."

Their teacher chose this moment to enter the classroom and clear his throat loudly. "If the hugging fest is over, maybe we can begin the lesson?"

Both girls chuckled lightly and slipped into their respective places, giggling to themselves all the while.

Their friendship wasn't lost after all.

* * *

As soon as the bell rang, Alya gently nudged Marinette's ribs. "You know, you still have some explaining to do, girl."

Adrien and Nino caught up with them on their way to lunch, the former snaking his left arm around Marinette's waist and softly kissing her temple, making her blush furiously. They sat together in the school courtyard, and she cast a glance at him, seeking reassurance in his beautiful green eyes.

When he nodded, a soft smile on his lips, Marinette turned to her friend. "Alright, Alya, what do you want to know?"

The reporter side of her best friend instantly kicked in, and she grinned from ear to ear. "Well, first... What the hell happened to Mystery Man?"

Taken aback, Marinette looked at Adrien in a panic. "Uhm... erm..."

"As it turned out, it was me all along."

She stared at Adrien in disbelief, while Alya and Nino shrieked, "Wait, what?"

Adrien chuckled. "Well, you see, I took a liking to an online game a few months ago and started talking a lot in-game to this amazing girl; Princess. We really hit it off."

Finally seeing where he was headed with his carefully threaded lie, Marinette sighed with relief and chimed in, "We sure did. I even talked with him about my crush on my cute classmate whom I couldn't even talk to, can you imagine?"

Nino burst out laughing. "Seriously, what were the odds? You're both incredible geeks, but still."

"I know, right?" Adrien continued. "So a few weeks ago, Marinette, or Princess at that time, told me about something that had happened at school that day, and since the exact same thing had happened to Marinette that very same day, I put two and two together. However, I was afraid she would reject me if she knew, so instead, I tried to know her better on this side of the screen, without telling her who I was."

Alya snorted. "What a stupid plan."

"I am now perfectly aware of that, thank you very much."

Marinette smiled, softly patting him on the arm. "However, as you're aware, Alya, Adrien's sudden interest in me only resulted in confusing me more than I already was. So... when he came clean and told me everything, I just... bolted."

Nino shook his head. "Don't tell me this is why you've gone missing for the whole week?"

"Maybe?"

Adrien smiled at her, relieved to see their friends were buying their lie laced with just enough bits of truth to explain the fallout.

Alya was now openly giggling, "Oh my god, this is precious. So, you struggled all those months to push your feelings for Adrien aside, all because you were falling for Adrien again?"

"Basically, yes."

The brunette grinned. "What a mess! How did you even manage to get her to forgive you, Adrien?"

Her raven-haired friend smiled at him lovingly. "Let's just say he's pretty stubborn when he wants something."

He blushed deeply and brought his hand up to scratch the back of his neck as he always did when he was nervous. "Hey, I barely did anything! I just told you the truth!"

"And stopped by the bakery every single night trying to get my parents to let you talk to me. And when that failed, you declared yourself to no one else than my dad. You're lucky he likes you!"

This time, the four of them burst out laughing, Adrien laughing so hard he had to clutch his sides.

Tears of mirth formed at the corner of their eyes, and Alya wiped them as she attempted to regain her composure. "You two are unbelievable! Leave it to you to get involved in such a mess."

Nino suddenly frowned, prompting Adrien to poke him. "What's the matter, bud?"

"Your children are gonna be disgustingly cute."

"NINO!"

"What?"

They doubled over in laughter, and the young man took the occasion to tease his blond friend a little. "Ladybug will be heartbroken to hear the famous Adrien Agreste is no longer crushing on her!"

Marinette smiled mischievously. "I wouldn't worry too much about her. Word is she finally gave in to Chat Noir's flirting."

Alya almost spat the gulp of juice she had just taken. "What? Where did you see that? Who told you that?"

"My source requested to remain anonymous!"

The aspirant reporter poked her on the shoulder repeatedly. "Oh no, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, you're not getting away with this!"

"My lips are sealed!"

They continued their playful banter until the bell rang. Adrien was always touching Marinette in some way, holding her hand, stroking her back, just sitting next to her so close their legs were barely brushing. It wasn't even remotely inappropriate, he was just there, his skin grazing hers in some way or another at any given time. Alya and Nino thought it was cute how possessive he was of his new girlfriend, but the young lady knew it ran deeper than that.

After three long months of separation, they both needed to adjust to the new reality of actually being allowed to love each other in the open, to touch each other in a way more intimate than just friendship. Marinette didn't mind at all Adrien's constant presence beside her because she craved it just as much as he did.

So when the bell did ring, they headed to class hand in hand, carefully ignoring the constant teasing of their respective best friends.

This was gonna be a good day, finally.


	24. Chapter 24: DreamWeaver

They hadn't even crossed the classroom's threshold when a deafening howl suddenly pierced the air, closely followed by a loud resonating bang coming from outside the school grounds. Marinette's blood froze in her veins when she realized the uncomfortable situation she was currently in. Adrien's hand was safely clutched around hers, and he wasn't showing any sign of letting go the slightest. Screams and bangs were usually her cue to disappear inconspicuously and save the day in true Ladybug's fashion, but that option had obviously been thrown down the drain as Marinette worriedly cast him a side-glance. She was already racking her brain for schemes allowing her to get away with an unsuspected escape with him stubbornly refusing to let go of her hand…

It was then that the absurdity of her train of thoughts suddenly dawned on her.

Never again would she have to sprint toward danger on her own instead of taking shelter like everyone else expected her to. Never again would she have to come up with silly and barely even believable alibis and lame excuses to explain her most uncertain whereabouts during akuma attacks, every time worrying her lie would be too weak and give her away. From now on she could perfectly get away with safely stating that she had been with Adrien the whole time – and the best part about it is that would be the sheer truth. From now on, she had her beloved kitty by her side to run to safety with, transform and take on the upcoming fight. From now on, they could look after each other in and outside their masks, and the thought was proving to be really soothing, comforting.

Sure enough, Adrien answered her unsure look with a very, very Chat-like wink, and tugged on her hand, motioning for her to follow him. Relief washed over the young woman as she obliged, Alya and Nino having long disappeared at the end of the hallway. They both broke into a sprint, heading toward a secluded place safe for both of them to transform away from prying eyes. He seemed to have a precise destination in mind, so she followed his lead without even a second thought. Once they finally reached a deserted corridor, he opened a door without the shadow of a hesitation and pulled her inside a very tiny room, closing the door carefully behind them.

Marinette took in their surroundings, and couldn't help the grin that spread on her lips. "A broom closet?" she mused. "Kinky."

He frowned briefly, but booped her on the nose with a playful smirk nonetheless. "Mock all you want, girl of little faith, it has served me perfectly well these past years. Best spot I've found to transform without unwanted witnesses on school grounds. Why, where do you usually head?"

She shrugged. "Girls bathroom or wherever works the best at the moment. I tend to go with the flow honestly. Don't worry kitty, your secret fetish for broom closets is safe with me."

"Haha. You're just jealous I've thought about it and you didn't," he retorted. "Plagg, claws out."

She whispered along with him, in perfect sync, "Tikki, spots on."

They intently stared at each other during their transformation, taking it all in, their hands never separating. They marveled in the overwhelming intimacy of actually being front row to each other's most guarded secret with the certainty it was the first of many.

Once clad in his familiar superhero outfit, Chat Noir placed a soft peck on his partner's lips and opened the door with a wide smile, gesturing for her to head out. "Ladies first."

"Ever such a gentleman. Thanks, Kitty. Now let's stop this super villain before it gets out of hand."

"On your heels, m'lady."

And they sprinted together, in perfect sync as they always were, toward the unfortunate akumatized citizen they had to save this time around.

* * *

Perched on the school rooftop Ladybug squinted her eyes trying to size up their new challenge from afar. A lean and tall lady with a very sickly pale complexion was towering over the street wrapped in way too many spiderweb-looking dreamcatchers for one's wellbeing. She seemed to be floating mid-air, her whole presence being kind of unsettling and eerie. She held her head a little crooked and was absentmindedly toying with something inside what seemed to be a pocket sewn on her dreamcatcher dress. She looked totally insane, to say the very least. Chat Noir landed beside his partner effortlessly and crouched in his signature stance just as the akuma finally spotted the two heroes and shouted at them with a booming and frightening voice, "I'M THE DREAMWEAVER. HAND OVER YOUR MIRACULOUSES AND SPARE YOURSELF A PAINFUL FATE OR PREPARE TO FACE YOUR WORST NIGHTMARES."

"What do you think, Chat? Seem familiar?" Ladybug asked warily as she broke into a sprint on the rooftop toward the villain of the day. Chat took a few seconds to analyze their opponent carefully, scanning the features and the distinctive marks of the DreamWeaver, and he sighed deeply when he found the answer, drastically opposed to what he would've wished to see. "Sure reminds me a lot of DreamCatcher, the first one I had to fight on my own."

They were now running side by side, seamlessly dodging spiderwebs thrown at them and trying to figure what the akumatized item could be this time along the way. Barely even out of breath, Ladybug laced her yo-yo around a lamppost and swung herself in the air, trying to suppress the anxiety threatening to wash over her upon finding that Plagg's worries were founded. She instead tried to focus on the fight, asking her partner, "And how did you manage to defeat it?"

Chat Noir used his staff to propel himself onto a nearby rooftop before replying sheepishly, "You're not gonna like it."

She snorted, swinging herself further down the street. "Try me."

Another spiderweb was very barely dodged as he replied, "Had to transform three times back to back because I kept wasting my Cataclysm on those lovely webs that wouldn't stop entangling me. The third time I just ran blindly until I tackled the citizen on a one-on-one fight and finally managed to rip his watch from his wrist and break it to release the akuma. Your cure thankfully erased any trace of the very bad and ugly cut I had on my cheek because I would seriously have had a hard time explaining that to-"

"Watch out!"

He jumped sideways without questioning, having long learned to trust his lady's commands without giving them any second thoughts. Sure enough, a spiderweb flew right by his side as he resumed his run toward the elusive akumatized citizen.

"And just what do those dreamcatchers do, anyway?"

He shrugged. "Both times I got trapped, it just kept whispering... things in my mind."

She glanced at him curiously, his oddly timed hesitation not going unnoticed by the heroine. "Things?"

"Yeah. Kept rambling on how no one ever loved me, how no one would miss me if I were to disappear, and how I was an utter and sad disappointment to you and my father."

Ladybug stopped dead in her tracks barely even avoiding another web as the DreamWeaver seemed to begin to resent being ignored.

"BRACE YOURSELF, FOR THE WORST IS YET TO COME!"

"Chat... That's..." she began, her voice rendered shaky with unspent emotions. Chat Noir, however, just shrugged as he shook his head, a sad smile spread on his lips.

"Not true, I know, Bugaboo," he answered meekly as he bounced on another rooftop, aiming for the victim slowly making her way down the street without the flow of spiderwebs thrown at them showing signs of slowing their attacks any time soon.

Ladybug forced herself to focus on the task at hand, tearing her gaze away from her partner and shaking away the infinite sadness for her lonely kitty threatening to wash over her. She took a second to analyze the situation they were in and suddenly stopped swinging herself as an idea dawned on her. It was risky, but it could work. The spotted heroine grinned and looked at her faithful teammate dead in the eyes. "Chat, Cataclysm that chimney for me, would you?"

Chat Noir nodded, instantly getting where her plan was, as he always did. The fallen chimney would effectively block the road, stopping the DreamWeaver's progression and bring her to a forced stop for at least a few seconds, hence giving them the chance to get whatever it was she kept playing with in her pocket, as it was more than likely where the akuma was hidden.

He took a deep breath and held his hand up high, conjuring his lethal power. Soon enough, his right hand pulsating with destructive energy, he sprinted toward the indicated chimney, eager to end the fight and go back to his perfect day with his perfect girlfriend…

Everything then happened in slow motion. Ladybug, his Bugaboo, his partner, the love of his life, who should have been waiting for a chance to jump into action on the very other side of the street at that precise second, somehow found herself standing right in his trajectory. He tried desperately to retreat when he noticed her in his way and he tried to swerve around her and touch anything else apart from her body with his hand. But he saw her at the very last possible second, already way too late for his dash to be broken or deflected even if he did really try with all his might.

His right hand collided with her stomach, hard.

"No!" The deafening and desperate scream burned his lungs as he let it out, but he didn't care the slightest. The only thing that mattered was that this couldn't be happening.

Everything froze around them.

She looked at him with a shocked expression, her bluebell eyes widening as she ever so slowly fell on her knees, oxygen brutally forced out of her lungs. Her hands instinctively clenched over her stomach, and her lips contorted into a bizarre grimace. Any concerns about the akuma and hero duties whatsoever shoved at the back of his mind, Chat Noir carelessly rushed to his injured partner and scooped her into his arms, tenderly cradling her head as panic heavily took over him. "Ladybug? M'lady? Answer me, please, please! You can't leave me like this!"

The beautiful blue eyes he had grown so fond of glistened, a single tear gliding down the spotted mask. The fallen heroine painfully clenched her slender fingers around his trembling wrist, weakly trying to say something he couldn't hear. All that came out from her peachy rose lips was a few drops of blood she coughed on his cheek. Ladybug began to shake violently and uncontrollably in his embrace, her beautiful eyes widening one last time in fear before closing themselves. She whimpered ever so barely when he pulled her closer to his chest, trying desperately to gauge the damage he had been stupid enough to do to her and how it could be undone.

His heart instantly stilled in his chest, another desperate cry echoing from his lips.

Her midsection was completely covered in very deep and very wide, singular gashes. A puddle of deep scarlet liquid was forming beneath them as life slowly poured out of her, covering them both. Her complexion was getting paler and waxier by the second. He cradled her head and noticed almost instantly how unfamiliarly limp she felt in his arms. Choking on the hot tears streaming down in face, he buried his nose in the raven hair, stroking them gently with his fingers. The hero couldn't bring himself to let go of her, still completely oblivious to their surroundings. He pressed a kiss at the top of her head, the tenderness in the gesture contrasting with the violence of the sobs shaking him whole.

He didn't need to check for a pulse to be sure.

He just knew.


	25. Chapter 25: Truly care

It all happened so fast. One second, her partner was dashing toward the chimney they had agreed to destroy with his usual confident smirk spread on his face, and the very next he was tumbling down the street, his trajectory deflected beyond repair and his expression suddenly one of sheer terror. Ladybug couldn't do anything but stand helpless, horror-stricken, as the webbed dreamcatcher hit Chat Noir right in the middle of the chest, tangling itself around his leather clad body like a sick plague making him trip on his feet, falling hard onto the concrete and waste his precious Cataclysm on a nearby manhole.

Less than a second later, just as she sprung into desperate motion toward him, he let out a blood-curdling scream and curled up upon himself in the middle of the street, sobbing loudly as he tenderly cradled something invisible to her against his heart.

His very obvious and inhumanly intense pain at whatever he was feeling or seeing made her blood instantly boil underneath her skin.

She was very aware that she only had five minutes ahead of her before his transformation failed him and revealed him as Adrien for the whole world to see. Hopelessly looking around for some sort of solution to protect her boyfriend's secret identity, Ladybug spotted Alya and Nino standing nearby, the aspiring reporter recording everything on her phone as usual to later post on her dear Ladyblog. The heroine struggled briefly with an inner dilemma. She was running rather short on time, and would those two being in on their otherwise safely guarded secret really be worse than if all of Paris knew? Resolve shot through her veins almost instantly as she made her decision. Chat Noir's safety was way, way more important than their secret identities. Choosing the lesser of two evils, she called out to Alya before she had time to change her mind. "Hey there, take him into hiding and keep an eye on him for me until I'm done with this, okay? If you hear the fourth beep, make sure no one else can see his face. I'll be as quick as I can."

Her brunette friend's head shot right up, looking like she was about to have a heart attack. Ladybug was talking to her, hell, her favorite heroine was entrusting her with her partner's very safety. She stood there speechless, stunned into a catatonic state, and it would have made Marinette chuckle if the stakes weren't so painfully high. Hopefully, Nino stepped in, smiling reassuringly. "Don't worry about him. We got him covered. Four beeps?"

She nodded, a lump forming at the back of her throat. "Hide him, please. He doesn't have much time left. Don't worry about me, I'll find you."

As the young DJ and the still-shocked reporter took off running with the leather clad hero tucked into his unsuspicious best friend's arms, Chat Noir kept sobbing rather violently, and Ladybug desperately itched to ease his unbearable pain as fast as she could.

Marinette knew what being angry felt like. She had wished to rip Chloe's head off more times than she could count before, sometimes had some heated arguments with either Alya or her parents, and her recent fight with Chat Noir/Adrien had made her gone berserk on the poor man. But none of these occurrences came close to the pure fury pouring with a violence into her veins as she shifted on her heels, facing DreamWeaver again. The akuma smiled wickedly, nodding toward the direction her friends had disappeared. "Not so fierce once your pet is out of order, now, are we?"

Through tightly clenched teeth, Ladybug removed her yo-yo from her hip, sustaining her foe's defiant glare. "You've just made a really, really bad mistake, Hawkmoth."

As soon as the words had left her lips, the black-spotted heroine conjured her lucky charm hastily, being granted with a very ordinary fire extinguisher and the craziest idea of her whole career as a superheroine so far at the same time. Time to think wasn't a luxury she had on her hands, and she unwittingly recalled how Chat Noir had managed to handle this sickening akuma on his own the first time around. Heart heavy with concern for her Chat Noir, her Adrien, who was probably still helplessly crouched in the middle of some alleyway weeping uncontrollably, she put the fire extinguisher between her thighs and pressed the handle without the shadow of a doubt as hard as she could. The chemicals set free from their metal prison shot out with a sudden burst, propelling her toward the akumatized like a rocket, faster than the blink of an eyelash.

As soon as she was within reach, Ladybug jumped on DreamWeaver, all claws out. She wasn't fighting for Paris' safety and defending her miraculous anymore, she was battling for the safety of the man she loved more than anything, even more than her very own life. If she had previously thought foolishly that giving into love would be a weakness to both of them, she was proved wrong at that very second. Her love for Adrien, for Chat Noir, gave her a newfound strength, gave her an unwavering motive to protect him from any harm that might come toward him.

So the young heroine blindly scratched and clawed, desperately stuck in a one-on-one catfight with the poor unsuspecting akuma, never backing out despite the injuries inflicted upon herself until she managed to get her fingers on whatever it was hiding in its webbed pocket.

Ladybug tore the family photograph off hastily without even a second glance at it and cured the evilized butterfly, never minding a single bit the nasty bruises and deep cuts she had gotten in the encounter. She would get time to heal later on, she would restore Paris' previous state later.

All that mattered to her right now was Adrien and his wellbeing.

Checking her yo-yo quickly for his current location, she swung herself over the nearest building without wasting another second. Luckily, Alya and Nino hadn't wandered that far away, and the heroine landed effortlessly beside her partner in a nearby alleyway. He had stopped sobbing, but he was still lying restlessly curled up on the concrete. Her anxious gaze noticed he still had one pad to go before Plagg unwillingly failed him. She cast a worried glance to Nino, who was still looking eager to help, "Hey, would you take care of that akumatized lady for me, please? She's most likely confused and isn't aware at all of what had happened. Police aren't that good at dealing with victims, Chat usually does but... She'll probably need some medical help as well."

Her friend smiled warmly. "I got it. Fourth beep just rang, his secret's safe. Take him to shelter."

She nodded, wrapping her arms around the still shivering body of her partner. Just as she wrapped her yo-yo onto a nearby chimney, readying herself to take both of them out of sight, she heard Alya harshly snapping out of her previously frozen state. "Ladybug! You truly care about him, don't you?"

Ladybug looked down at how she was wrapped around Chat Noir's broken body, at just how tight she was clinging to him, and how her unwavering feelings for him had given her a steel-like will to come back for him before the transformation failed him. Holding him tighter before swinging them both into the Parisian sky, she answered Alya truthfully, "I love him with every fiber of my being."

And they were gone.

Chat Noir's transformation finally dropped just as Ladybug landed on a secluded rooftop. She carefully deposited him on the tiles, laying his back against the cold material and looked at him worriedly. He was still shaking rather violently and his tears had left deep streaks on his cheeks.

Her gaze still fixated on Adrien's face, she warily released her cleansing spell and dropped her own transformation, crouching on the rooftop beside him. She hesitantly put her hand on his arm, startling him out of his catatonic state, his eyes jerking open fearfully.

"Hey, it's alright. It's over," she whispered softly. He choked down on yet another sob as he raised a weak hand to cradle her face, gently caressing her cheek tentatively as his stare never left hers. Marinette leaned into his touch and smiled softly. "I'm right here. Whatever it was, we'll get ov-"

She was cut short as he suddenly pulled her into a tight hug, clinging to her petite figure as if his very life depended on it. She stroked his hair reassuringly, taking in his familiar scent as he sobbed into her neck, "You... you were..."

He sniffed, and she kissed his blond locks tenderly. "Shhh, it's okay. I'm right here and I won't go anywhere."

"There... there was blood everywhere... and you wouldn't open your eyes..."

She stiffened a little, her heart aching at the atrocity he had to go through because of the akuma. He went on anyway, still refusing to loosen his grip on her. "You were supposed to be on the other side of the street... and I hit you with my Cataclysm... I couldn't do anything about it... you just laid there in my arms... and you stopped breathing..."

Smiling sadly, Marinette pressed his head onto her heart, whispering softly, "Listen to my heart beat so strongly for you, Kitty. You never harmed me in any way, I'm still very there and I still love you with all my being."

The young woman kept stroking his hair softly, reassuringly, kissing Adrien's forehead as he cried all his pain away in her arms. His nightmare apparently had been pretty vivid and had actually managed to successfully convince him not only that she was lying dead in his arms, but also that he had been the one to kill her, although unwillingly. She couldn't even begin to wrap her mind around how traumatic an experience like that could be, so she just responded to his embrace, reassuring him that she was very alive and that he had never even hurt a hair on her head in his life.

After long minutes, he finally seemed to calm down a little, so Marinette pulled away from him a little, searching for his familiar green eyes. "Are you okay?"

He sniffed and looked at her hesitantly. "I... I think I'll manage. Thank you, Mari."

She smiled softly at him and stood up, offering him her hand. "Come on, let's get you home before it gets dark."

Adrien nodded weakly and hesitantly got up, taking her hand in his and squeezing it lightly, tenderness present in the gesture. Placing a chaste kiss on his lips, Marinette reached for a tissue in her purse where both kwamis were resting and gently wiped the remaining tears on his face. The young woman transformed briefly, safely getting them both down the roof before releasing the charm and claiming his hand once again. They walked side by side toward his mansion in complete silence.

As they passed by the bakery, unease suddenly pooled inside her stomach. Despite the events of the day, they were still expected to be at school the next morning and her parents must already be worried sick about her current whereabouts. But she didn't want to - she just couldn't - leave Adrien on his own right now.

He stopped in front of the bakery door, looking at the tip of his orange shoes intently.

"Mari... Do... Do you think you could sleep at my place tonight?"

She eyed him warily, prompting him to add a little more firmly, "It's just that... I think we'll both sleep better if I don't have to call you every time I wake up to make sure you really are not..."

She nodded, a soft and reassuring smile still dancing on her lips. "Sure, just come in while I pack an overnight bag and explain everything to my parents."

The second they passed the door her parents were all over them both. "We were so worried!" Sabine squealed just as Tom asked, "Where have you both been this whole time?"

"Alya is worried sick!"

"Adrien, you look like a mess, son. What happened to you?"

Once they calmed down a little, Marinette explained them shortly that Adrien had been caught in one of the akumas nightmare-inducing dreamcatchers, and that she had found him in an alley once Ladybug had used her cleansing spell. Since he obviously wasn't feeling too well, she was going to spend the night at his place to watch over him and make sure he was really okay.

Her parents voiced their concerns about their safety walking to the Agreste mansion so late in the day and suggested they both stayed at the bakery instead, but they also understood Adrien was kept on a rather tight leash by his father and that an impromptu sleepover wasn't a viable option without a really good excuse. So Marinette's parents reluctantly let the pair vanish into the night, knowing very well that trying to keep their daughter from watching over her clearly very upset boyfriend that night would be like asking her to stop breathing for a few hours.

Her heart was way too kind and she loved that boy way too much to leave him dealing alone with this obvious torment.


	26. Chapter 26: Less than perfect

As Adrien pushed the heavy wooden door of the mansion open, Marinette couldn't help but acutely notice the disturbing absence of any form of greeting he was getting. She stopped dead in her tracks, clutching harder on his hand out of sheer disbelief. "Where's your father?"

He shrugged weakly, still staring at her like she was going to evaporate at any given second. "He's probably upstairs in his office working on some urgent design or something like that, why would you ask? I thought you didn't like him much?"

Her bluebell gaze was truly dumbfounded as she desperately clutched onto her soft pink overnight bag to keep her from painfully digging her nails into the soft skin of his palms. "There was an akuma attack today, Adrien, and a really nasty one! For all he knows, you were caught in the crossfire. Wouldn't he want to check on you, make sure you're okay?"

His expression remained blank, ripping Marinette's heart apart.

"I texted Nathalie. They know I'm okay."

His empty and uninterested eyes told her this was his usual routine and it made her stomach churn painfully. Sure, she had always known Adrien's life at home was very less than perfect, but this specific situation was wrong on so many levels that she had to refrain with all her might from packing his luggage right then and there and moving him into her own room. At least there someone would be waiting for him to come back at the end of the day and would give a damn if he was either sick or upset.

Just as if he was reading what was going through her mind, he patted her arm tenderly. "Don't sweat it. I'm used to it, there's really no need to work yourself over something as meaningless as this."

Marinette didn't answer only because she couldn't think of anything appropriate to retort to a heartbreaking statement like this. She had been very aware for a long time that Adrien (and Chat Noir too, for that matter) was more than likely suffering from the loneliness resulting from an absent mother and an overworked and almost equally absent father. But up until that very second, she hadn't realized the extent of that cruel void in his life, of that giant hole that had been punched unfairly in the boy's kind heart.

She wordlessly followed him to his room, her hand small and shy into his, growing increasingly mad at herself for carelessly rubbing her own family bliss in his face. Marinette frowned. "I'm sorry."

He stopped on the step of his room, unsure of what she meant. "What now?"

"I'm sorry my parents are so... present and overwhelming."

His heart broke a little as he opened a wooden door, pulling her into his room. "Never, you hear me? Never be ashamed of the perfect and wonderful family you are lucky enough to have." The ghost of a smile danced on Adrien's lips as he went on, "Who knows, maybe one day I'll get to marry you and be a part of it."

She giggled softly. "You're already part of it, they adopted you, remember?"

She awkwardly sat on the edge of his bed, still very aware of him staring intently at her. She couldn't help but chuckle at him. "I'm not gonna evaporate anytime soon, Adrien. You can relax."

His gaze instantly darkened, to her dismay. "You don't... you can't understand. Not if I don't explain."

Sitting beside her on the mattress, he pulled her into his lap. Sighing in relief, he hugged her a little bit too tightly before looking away reluctantly, not that eager to wrap himself into those nightmare memories again. "This... this was so real, Mari. So vivid."

He swallowed, hard, before going on with a new found fire in his veins. She had to know. She had to understand. "This isn't only about me having visions of your bloody body broken down on the street and freaking out over it a forged image."

His voice broke a little, but he went on anyway, "It's about me feeling my Cataclysm's charged hand collapse really violently onto your stomach. It's about me feeling the weight of your body hopelessly limp into my arms even if you probably only saw me cradling thin air, feeling the dampness of your blood pooling on your suit, covering both of us. It's about me smelling the copper aroma of the blood pouring out of you without being able to do anything to stop it. It's about me tasting my salty tears pouring on my cheeks as well as the sugary faint hint of flavor of your shampoo as I kissed the top of your head. It's about me hearing you whimper when I pulled you close to me, hearing you coughing blood as you tried to speak to me, hearing your labored breathing finally come to a final stop."

He stared into the distance, still hugging her tightly. He resumed his train of thought unwillingly as she shuddered in horror in his embrace. "Knowing the akuma's nature, I desperately searched for a loophole, something a little off that would let me know that none of this was real. But no matter how hard I searched, there was none. All of my five senses felt you die. And to me, it felt like I was dying over and over again. I couldn't figure out how I could continue a day on without you, despite the promise I made to Plagg. I didn't know how I could walk away and live with myself knowing that I, out of all people, had killed the woman I love."

Marinette's heart shattered to pieces as the reality of what he had to go through sunk in. She was violently shivering against his chest, tears pooling in her eyes.

Tikki suddenly peeked out of the discarded purse, worry very evidently written all over her face. "Adrien, didn't you say the first time around the akuma only managed to whisper things into your ear whenever you got caught in its webs?"

The young man looked at the red blob expectantly. "It did, and while it was unsettling I didn't have that much trouble to overlook it. Why do you ask?"

Plagg flew into view, his expression sinister. "If an akuma cured only one or two shades short managed to gather this much strength in a mere two weeks, managing to create visions powerful enough to fool all of your five senses all at once instead of the only one he was originally able to..."

Tikki finished for him, "We can only pray for both of your sake the second akuma is gonna come out of hiding really, really soon."

Adrien exchanged a look with Marinette, a look that was full of fear, pain, love, and something else. Something she read in his familiar green eyes more and more often lately.

An unwavering resolve.

* * *

The next morning found them entangled in his sheets, clutching desperately to each other just like they were each other's security blanket.

Plagg was the one that woke them up from an otherwise peaceful slumber, and Marinette suddenly understood why Adrien was on time every damned day, apart from days when akumas struck. His kwami was way beyond annoying, begging loudly for cheese as the sun hadn't even begun to rise. She laughed as Tikki forced the poor Chat Noir's kwami into hiding and into silence at the same time. She would really owe her the sweetest treats she would manage to find around the shop once they were home.

Adrien woke up softly, obviously used to Plagg's tantrums, and looked at her warily. "I hope he isn't driving you away from me." he uttered honestly.

She smiled and stretched herself to peck him on the lips. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere."

He grinned and hugged her sloppily before sighing defeatedly. "There's no way I'll get back to sleep now. Since I have to get up to feed that little pig, do you want me to fix breakfast for both of us?"

Marinette nodded, regretting losing his touch the second he was out of the bed.

She quickly dressed for the day, letting her hair down for a change. The young woman knew how much Chat- scratch that, Adrien loved it when she did. Gathering her belongings into her bag, she opened her jacket for Tikki to hide in an inside pocket she had sewn there especially for her. Ready to face the day ahead of them, she exited his room and wandered a little in the mansion, looking for the kitchen.

* * *

Adrien was greeted in the kitchen by the very unusual sight of his father fixing himself a cup of coffee as he was going over his daily planning with Natalie.

He politely greeted them both and began preparing his and Marinette's breakfast with steady gestures. He had greatly improved his cooking skills since the unfortunate pasta incident with his princess and was now able to easily prepare them both oatmeal, fresh fruit and some toast and jam. He was about to head back to his room with his tray full of food when his father took notice of the size of the breakfast he had prepared. "Someone's hungry this morning?"

Adrien blushed lightly. "Actually, I had someone-"

"Oh, hi Mr. Agreste!"

Both men turned around toward Marinette, standing shyly at the entrance of the kitchen. She was wearing plain skinny jeans with a patchwork tank top that was mostly pink but was truly interesting in the mix of textures she had used (because it was obvious it was her creation) to make it. There was lace, satin, velvet, cotton, all expertly sewn into a flawless design. A light gray jacket greatly completed her outfit, and she had let her hair down for a change.

She was stunningly beautiful, and Adrien felt a jolt of pride squeezing his heart at the thought that girl had chosen him out of every possible prospect.

Gabriel Agreste however eyed the young woman warily. "Who do we have here now?"

Marinette smiled kindly as she strode closer, Adrien wrapping his arm protectively around her shoulders as soon as she came within his reach. "Father, may I introduce Marinette Dupain-Cheng to you?"

The older man extended a hand toward her, that she shook shyly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, miss Dupain-Cheng."

"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Agreste."

He smiled, before returning his attention to his son. "And this young lady is our house this early morning because...?"

Adrien knew better than to lie to his father. Never removing his arm from her shoulders, he smiled genuinely. "She's my girlfriend. She's always been a close friend of mine, but I asked her out recently and she, blissfully, agreed."

Gabriel pushed back his glasses on his nose, nodding briefly. "I see. I must say it's a relief you took interest in a talented beautiful young lady like she is. The lack of... action in your love life had got me worried that perhaps, you had other inclinations."

"Father!" Adrien squealed, obviously embarrassed about the turn the conversation had taken and his dad's attitude.

"This obviously isn't the case. Enjoy your breakfast," concluded the older Agreste.

As he made his way toward the door, though, he stopped in his tracks and spun around. "And Adrien, while I understand you are eighteen now and I more or less don't have a say in your actions anymore, you're still living under my roof and therefore have to abide by my rules. I would like to be warned beforehand the next time you plan on having your girlfriend over for the night."

"Yes, Father."

With a short nod, Gabriel Agreste exited the room, Natalie on his heels. The young man breathed a sigh of relief he hadn't realized he had been holding until then and smiled triumphantly at Marinette. "This went incredibly well! He liked you, but then again, who in their right mind wouldn't?"

She blushed lightly, spinning on her heels to face him and laced her arms around his neck. "You, Mr. Agreste, are a big flirt."

"I fail to see how stating the sheer truth makes me a flirt."

She laughed, placing a soft and chaste kiss upon his lips. When she pulled back, he smiled and indicated the tray lying on the counter top. "Are you hungry?"

The young designer was about to answer when Plagg flew into view, whining. "About time! I'm famished."

The couple burst out laughing and sat to eat, content in each other's company.


	27. Chapter 27: Sounds like love

The morning zipped by quickly after that. The breakfast was eaten rather easily as they both fell into a comfortable conversation. When the time came to leave for school, Adrien hastily dismissed his driver, which earned him a knowing smirk from the man that had been driving him around ever since he was in diapers. The young man insisted on instead walking his girlfriend to school hand in hand again, taking an infinite pleasure into casually chatting with her about their homework, their duties as Paris' heroes and whatever topic that came to brush their minds.

Once the pair reached their classroom, they noticed that Alya had eagerly grabbed the opportunity to switch places with Adrien, sitting beside her own boyfriend, clearly hinting that she had been dying to do so for a very long time but had refrained for Marinette's sake. The new couple chuckled to themselves, not minding the slightest getting an excuse to spend even more time together. Marinette smiled softly at Adrien as she sat beside him, their thighs barely brushing under the desk, something she wouldn't for the life of her have managed to walk from unscathed only a few months prior. And yet, it now felt only natural, instinctive, their new normalcy. It was quite odd how much something that had always seem to her to be merely an unattainable and silly dream a few weeks before now felt as innate as breathing.

Being with Adrien, with her partner, she felt whole. Complete. Like he had always been a missing huge part of herself.

The first half of their classes for the day were over before either of them could bat an eye. As Adrien, Alya, Nino and herself were on her way to lunch, the boys playfully bantering with each other while their girls rolled their eyes at them, Marinette couldn't help but grumble as her bladder suddenly saw fit to remind her of its existence. "Sorry guys, gotta hit the bathroom real quick before we head out."

Alya smirked teasingly. "No problem girl, just join us in the courtyard once you're done being a wuss."

Both boys burst out laughing at that tease, which prompted Marinette to stick her tongue out childishly before heading toward the bathrooms, quietly scanning the news websites on her phone to reassure herself that no akuma was on the loose unbeknownst to them at the time.

The young woman absentmindedly pushed the door of the girls' bathroom, wholly absorbed in her own thoughts. She had a lot to do that night before patrol, and the awful akuma from the day before had taken its toll on both herself and her poor boyfriend. It wasn't until she had made her way halfway through the room that she heard it. A loud sniffle quickly followed by a faintly choked sob. Her attention instantly snapped up from the text she had been busy typing to Alya to the girl curled up on the cold tiled floor, her arms wrapped protectively around her knees, head held as low as it was physically possible. The way her shoulders were shaking made it obvious she was crying uncontrollably despite her obvious efforts to stop. Her way too familiar blonde locks were tangled in a fashion that suggested she had been tugging on it out of either frustration or spite. Marinette froze on the spot, unsure of how to deal with the situation. She was too far away from the door already to retreat without making it awkward for both of them, and it was now impossible that the crying girl hadn't noticed her yet.

Still struggling to make the best decision possible to spare both of them from an uncomfortable situation, Marinette spoke as softly as she could. "I'm really sorry, Chloe, I didn't mean to intrude. Do you want me to get Sabrina? I won't tell anyone about it."

Her first instinct had been to spin on her heels and run away from the upset blonde as fast as she could, but she was glad she didn't when Chloe shifted ever so little. The young woman lifted her gaze toward her slowly, painfully. Marinette cringed when she noticed the dark circles the mascara had left on her cheeks and the way her lower lip was violently shaking. Whatever had caused her dismay visibly had really hit close to home and was utterly breaking her. No matter how Marinette despised her, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the mayor's daughter. Chloe sniffled again and answered with a broken voice, "Sabrina… Sabrina and I aren't exactly on speaking terms currently."

Marinette truly was at loss then. Apart from Adrien, whom she couldn't possibly drag into the girls' bathroom without raising any suspicions from their classmates, she wasn't aware of any other friend Chloe might have.

Defeated, she lowered her gaze to the floor and spoke softly again as she retreated toward the door. "Sorry, I'll give you privacy, then."

Just as she was about to open the door, Chloe's voice stopped her. "How can you do it?"

The question had been asked softly, without any animosity. That alone made Marinette's hand hover over the door handle, hesitating. "Do what?"

Chloe sniffled again, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand. "This. It's no secret that you hate me, and yet you are standing there, being way too kind to me only because I'm upset. Why do you care at all?"

Any trace of hesitation Marinette may still have instantly vanished at that. The young designer pulled out her phone and sent a quick SMS to Adrien explaining that she had been held up and to not worry about her. She then made her way to where Chloe was sitting, dropping herself beside her on the cold tiled floor. "Hate is a very strong word, Chloe. I don't think I could ever hate anyone."

The blonde's blue eyes widened. "See? That's what I'm talking about. You're literally oozing kindness and selflessness from every single pore of your damned skin. It's so irritating!"

Marinette lifted an eyebrow skeptically. "Irritating?"

Chloe squealed in frustration. "YES! Because I don't know how to do it! EVERYBODY loves you! Everybody in this fucking school is friend with you somehow. Adrien worships the very ground you walk on, Alya loves you like just like a sister would, half the boys in our class are crushing on you. And here I am, poor lonesome Chloe that can't even manage to get one friend to stick around more than a few months. Sabrina venerated me, and I still managed to drive her away in the end."

Taken aback by Chloe's sudden outburst, Marinette didn't find anything fit to answer. She wasn't even sure if she was lashing out at her or praising her, so she let her resume her vent.

"Everyone thinks I'm nothing but a rotten spoiled brat. And I have only myself to blame for this. All of my life all I had to do is demand to obtain. But that's not how it works in the real world… One heck of a reality check I had, that even the worst temper tantrum in the world doesn't always land you what you want…" A single tear trailed down her cheek.

"I've been trying since the beginning of the year to change that wrong perception everyone has of me, but I don't even know where to begin with. Every time I open my goddamn mouth, all that seem to come out is nasty mean things. I ended up not talking at all, and nobody even bothered to notice."

Now that she pointed it out, Marinette had to reckon it was true that Chloe had been abnormally quiet since fall. She wasn't even able to recall the last time she had said anything remotely mean to anyone. Tentatively, she reached for her arm, patting it in what she wished would be perceived as a reassuring fashion. "Chloe, what is this really about? Since when do you give a single fuck about what people think about you?"

The blonde girl smiled softly through her tears. "It's Nathanael," she confessed quite easily. "Not that it would matter anyway."

Marinette quirked an eyebrow, wondering if the rumors about her infatuation with the redhead were true after all. "What about him?"

Chloe shrugged. "He won't even look at me, no matter how hard I try. I've been as nice as I could to him since August, to no avail."

"What have you tried so far?"

The blonde girl sighed. "I bought him a scarf the same blue his eyes are. He gave it back to me without a single world. Then I bought him a charcoal Agreste beret that would look awesome in his red locks, but he refused to even cast a single glance at it."

Marinette chuckled involuntarily, making Chloe's gaze snap suddenly to hers. "You think it's funny?"

The young woman smiled. "Not at all. Say, why do you like Nathanael at all?"

Chloe sighed. "He's truly one of a kind. His hair red as sunrise, his blue eyes so pure. His slender musculature, his long and slim fingers…

Marinette smiled again. "That's merely physical features. Nathanael won't ever cast a second glance at you if he thinks you are after him only for his looks, no matter how hot you think he is. Is there anything else you like about him?"

Chloe squealed softly, intently looking at the floor. "I don't know! He soothes me?"

This definitely took Marinette by surprise as she instantly asked back quizzically, "Soothes you?"

Chloe shrieked unwillingly, unable to maintain her cold facade:

"I don't know, it's like his constant calm and assured demeanor no matter what calms me somehow. His quiet temper and his overflowing creativity make me feels safe in a way I've never been before. Does it even makes sense?"

Marinette smiled softly. "Actually, it does. Adrien says that watching me sew or draw oddly calms him."

Chloe smiled genuinely at that. "Yeah, that's it! When he's drawing it feels like everything has fallen into place. Looking at him even from afar feels like I've found my place and nothing bad can happen to me if he's close to me."

Marinette smiled. "Sure sounds pretty much like love to me."

Chloe shrugged sadly. "How can I make him love me back anyway?"

The young designer smiled knowingly. "Show him how much you care about him. Seeing him draw soothes you? Find a way to be with him when he draws. If you're so intent on buying him gifts, buy him art supplies instead of fashionable items. Listen to what he likes and act accordingly."

Chloe smiled softly through her tears. "I'll… I'll try. Thanks, Marinette."

Chloe stretched herself in front of the mirror, looking intently at the damage her crying had done to her makeup. Wiping the smudged mascara from her cheeks, she whispered meekly. "Marinette, can you promise me something?"

Curious with the sudden topic change, Marinette perked. "Sure thing. What?"

"Please make Adrien happy. Poor guy already had twice his fair share of suffering for a whole lifetime, if you ask me."

Marinette smiled fondly before answering. "Don't worry about it. I plan on sticking with him until he grows sickly tired of me."

As she was about to open the door and head out, the shy voice of her up-to-this-very-second-arch-enemy stopped her. "Hey, Marinette?"

The young woman glanced back warily at Chloe as the blonde was finishing touching up her makeup in the mirror. "That doesn't mean we're friends, right?"

Marinette smirked knowingly. "Don't worry, I wouldn't dare to dream about it, Chloe."

With that she exited the bathroom, walking toward the courtyard as she waved happily to Adrien and Alya who were obviously waiting for her. Her boyfriend raised an eyebrow questioningly, obviously wondering what possibly could've held her up so long in the bathroom. She leaned in to kiss his cheek and whispered in his ear as she retreated, "Ran into someone pretty upset. Took time to comfort her."

The pride she read in his familiar green eyes made her heart swell as she sneaked her small hand into his, letting him lead her toward a table.

Neither of the girls had noticed the odd looking grayish butterfly very angrily flying back out the window, from where he had been watching since Marinette entered the bathroom, unknowingly preventing him from infecting Chloe.


	28. Chapter 28: Out of sight

The next akuma they had to fight hit only a few days later in the early evening. It had been so unbelievably easy to vanquish that Marinette almost felt she would get a bad case of whiplash from the whole encounter considering how the previous ones had been hard and draining as of lately. Not that she would complain, though.

Adrien, on the other hand, was positively sulking. He had had a really hard time convincing his now-girlfriend to let him treat her to a long overdue proper date, and they had barely even made it out of the restaurant when they had heard the telltale screams announcing an akuma on the loose. Sighing in frustration as Marinette and he had taken shelter into a deserted alley to transform, he had pondered for a moment what it would take to bribe Hawkmoth into a single evening free of hero duties to enjoy some peaceful alone time with his lady.

As it turned out in the end, the perfect date Adrien had carefully planned had gone sour all thanks to an office worker badly dealing with an unexpected layoff. He had wished a little too hard to turn off his overwhelming inner turmoil and had made himself a perfect prospect for an akuma in the process. The newly unemployed man had then been wandering aimlessly around the streets like a zombie for about an hour, plainly calling himself Apathy and dulling people's emotions on sight. Both Ladybug and Chat Noir had been hit with his attack during the fight, but it hadn't been really effective on them or even remotely annoying. Even if their hearts didn't care anymore about defeating him or protecting their miraculouses whatsoever, their minds still were perfectly conscious about what was happening, and they managed without any real struggle to remain focused on getting the akuma despite their lack of motivation.

Since Apathy had proved far from being an aggressive akuma, tricking him and ripping the akumatized item, which ended up being his business tie, from around his neck had proved to be easier done than said for the first time in their superhero careers. Cataclysm wasn't even needed, and Ladybug had to invoke a lucky charm for the sole purpose of being able to release her cleansing spell, reactivating the dulled emotions inside the magically uncaring victims.

Still in a sour mood about their botched date, Chat Noir briefly glanced at his partner as she was releasing her spell, searching for a way to salvage their special night nonetheless. Seeing as she was on a timer and himself wasn't, the leather-clad hero quickly scooped his loved one into his arms without giving her time to protest and skillfully propelled them both into Paris' sky with his staff, holding her safely tucked against his chest. The leather-clad hero reached the top of the Eiffel Tower just as her transformation dropped, her face carefully hidden in the crook of his arm. He chuckled softly as she intently refused to move a single hair even once they had landed. "Everything's alright, princess, we're out of sight."

She looked tentatively around them, taking in their surroundings and snorting disbelievingly. "Really, kitty?"

He smiled sheepishly. "Well, tonight's fight has been surprisingly easy, and since I haven't used Cataclysm, I can still stay transformed for a little while. Thought we could make the most of it. The movie and the ice cream are definitely down the sewers, but I think we could still get the stargazing part of our date right, what do you think?"

Grinning openly, she nodded as she let him sit her on one of the larger beams carefully and watch him with shining blue eyes as he scooted close to her.

Chat nuzzled her neck as he caressed tenderly the side of her ribs with clawed fingers, making her shiver slightly under his touch. He instantly picked on it, pulling away from her worriedly. "Are you cold? Do you want me to get you home?"

Marinette smiled at him lovingly as she gently dug her fingers into his hair. "I'm shivering because I like it, Kitty."

He frowned slightly, which made her giggle out loud, but the smug grin that spread across his familiar features when the realization finally hit him melted her heart a little further.

* * *

Chat Noir suddenly felt lightheaded as he understood what she had truly meant. He breathed softly, feeling dumb, "Oh."

She wouldn't have to ask twice. Chat Noir went back to her skin, his lips connected with the sensitive crook of her neck, taking in her unique taste. His fingers brushed against her hip, her waist, coaxing that lovely shiver again from her and blissfully reveling in it. Marinette's skin felt hot and feverish under his caress through the cold leather of his gloves, she was answering each of his kisses with weak moans, breathy whispers of both his names over and over again as her fingers kept gently tugging on his hair. Her responsiveness to his touch emboldening him, he went up to take a drink of her lips as one hand tenderly cupped her cheek, his free arm safely locked around her waist. The kiss deepened almost instantly like he had thrown oil on the fire. She arched her body against his, moaning softly when his tongue shyly stroked hers, her palm resting above his heart as she laced her fingers through his blond locks with the other.

He hadn't planned this. He had only been hoping for a few kisses under the moonlight on their beloved Eiffel tower before safely bringing her home and kissing her goodnight as himself under the porch of her parents' bakery.

And yet there they were, passionately kissing atop the Eiffel tower, his clawed hands carefully sneaking under her shirt to rest on the bare soft skin of her back.

* * *

Their lips kept gliding together feverishly, moving in perfect sync up until Marinette suddenly became aware of a low thrum rumbling in his chest under her fingers splayed against the black leather. She giggled softly, breaking the kiss.

"Are-Are you purring?"

He flushed bright red and pulled a little further away from her. "I'm sorry, I can't control it."

Marinette reached for his cheek with her other hand, cupping it gently as the other lingered on his heart, basking in the new sensation. She whispered, her voice harsh and breathy, "I like it."

The purr grew louder and Chat closed his eyes, a content expression painted on his features. Lazily stroking his cheek with her thumb, Marinette placed a short kiss on his lips and rested her forehead against his. "Does it happen often?"

He leaned into her touch, gazing into her blue stare filled with curiosity. "No. I've come to realize it only happens when I'm totally relaxed. And perfectly happy."

She frowned a little, and Chat tenderly pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear, the purr faltering. "I know what you're thinking, and stop right this second. It hasn't happened before with you because it only happens when I feel perfectly at ease. No lingering guilt, no lies nagging me, no aftermaths of an epic fight with the woman I'm madly in love with, no stress or pressure, no worries clouding my mind, no-"

She put a finger to his lips to hush him and smiled at him through heavy lidded eyes. "I get it. It makes sense."

He kissed her eagerly. "I love you, Mari."

She felt like no words were powerful enough to express how much she loved him back, so she acted.

* * *

Marinette kissed him again, a fiery, searing kiss that sent his skin ablaze. The message she attempted to get through him was crystal clear, and he took it all in. He took it all, her unfaltering love for him, her hopes for a future together that he wanted just as much if not more than her, the sense of security she had when she was by his side, the bliss of finally being together. He took it all, and he gave it back to her with every fiber of his being. The purr in his chest was soaring at full volume, and he didn't care anymore.

When they finally pulled apart, the moon was high in the sky and they both were breathless, flushed red and both of their hearts were erratic.

Unable to tame the blissful smile that danced on his lips, he placed a small peck on hers before sighing in their embrace. "I should take you home, it's getting late. Your dad's probably waiting for you."

She rested her head on his shoulder. "You know Plagg is going to give you a hard time about this, right?"

"Totally worth every second of his lecture."

Extending his baton, he pulled her safely in his arms again and swung them down the tower. Ducking behind one of the pillars he released the transformation, quickly shoving Plagg in his jacket's pocket to prevent any unaccounted-for onlooker from catching a glimpse of the weird creature. The little deity began whining loudly at the extended time Adrien had uselessly used his services, but instantly shut up once he stumbled upon a very fine piece of camembert hidden for him in the pocket.

Offering his arm to Marinette, Adrien smiled shyly. "Shall we, princess?"

She locked her arm into his and they fell into a comfortable stride toward the bakery. Neither of them bothered to comment on the fact it would have been way quicker and efficient for him to escort her home as his heroic self. They both wanted the moment to last as long as it could, both content in each other's company. The night was truly beautiful and they walked in silence for a few minutes. Marinette was the first to reluctantly break it. "Adrien?"

"Mmhmm?" He cast her a curious glance.

"I suppose hoping tonight's akuma was the remaining uncured one would only be wishful thinking on my part?"

His expression darkened visibly. "It would have truly been perfect, but sadly, it wasn't. The second one I fought alone was most definitely an aggressive one."

"Oh," he simply breathed as she stopped dead in her tracks.

The young man spun her around to face him, placing both of his hands on her shoulders. Cerulean blue met grassy green as he sighed. "For the last time, Mari, stop blaming yourself about this. I'm fine. We worked it out perfectly."

"Still-"

A silent scolding filled his gaze as he pulled her into a tight hug. Peppering little kisses into her hair, he whispered, "I love you, Mari. No matter how much the path to you was difficult, I'd take it again in a heartbeat if it meant being with you in the end."

The young woman leaned her head on his shoulder, lacing her arms around his waist. "Thanks, Adrien."

They resumed their way to the bakery, a comfortable silence falling between them, just to be once again broken by Marinette. "How was it?"

Adrien quirked an eyebrow. "What now?"

"The second akuma. If I know what to expect, we could try to guess how different it will be once he attacks again, and we'd have drafts of plans to rely on instead of just rushing in head first."

He squeezed her fingers gently with his free hand. "It was rather simple, but hard to tackle on my own. An aspirant astronaut had failed the entry tests. Wanted my miraculous, was upset because you weren't around to grab yours as well, and kept throwing shooting stars everywhere."

"Ugh. I hate the ones that throw things. They're the worst."

Adrien laughed softly as they reached her doorstep. "Could it be my lady is more of a melee fighter despite her ranged weapon?"

She cringed. "You're the worst dork I know."

"But I'm adorkable."

At that she laughed heartily. "I walked right into that one, didn't I?"

"Certainly did. Come here."

He hugged her one last time, placing a chaste kiss on her slightly parted lips. "Sweet dreams, princess."

"Be safe, Adrien. Goodnight."

The bakery's door opened wide, right on cue, Tom peeking his head out.

"I knew I heard voices! How was your date, kids?"

Adrien smiled as Marinette hugged her dad.

"Great! Adrien treated me to dinner and movie, and then we walked all through Paris, talking about just everything."

The huge man hugged his daughter back, and waved cheerfully at the young man still standing on the sidewalk. "Come on in son, it's getting late."

Stunned, Adrien stumbled, "I-I was thinking of heading home actually, Tom. I wouldn't want to be a butter. "

"Nice one kid! However, it's way too late to wander out there all by yourself Adrien. Come on you two, go to bed, I have a bakery to run in a few hours."

* * *

That night, before they both finally drifted into a dreamless slumber, Marinette teased Adrien non-stop about how the all-mighty Chat Noir had been coaxed by his girlfriend's father to sleepover for the sake of his very own safety. He laughed heartily at the teases, a faint but definitely there purr rumbling in his chest when Marinette curled up against him sleepily.

They'd worry about shooting stars later.


	29. Chapter 29: Murderous glances

Marinette shrugged as she handed a cookie to Tikki with one hand, gathering her books with the other. "We could always wear protective gear to help deflect the shooting stars?"

Adrien snorted as he tucked Plagg safely into his jacket pocket, wrinkling his nose a little when he caught a whiff of camembert. "Yeah, right, Mari. And nobody will question why we both go around wearing protective pads all of a sudden. Besides, we don't even know if we'd still have it on once transformed."

"You won't!" piped up the small voice of Tikki as she ducked into her usual spot in the purse. Marinette rolled her eyes, sighing deeply.

"Fine, I'll think of something else. At least I'm trying!"

Adrien took her schoolbag from her hands and ignored the exasperated glare he earned himself in the process. "I don't think it'll do us any good to dwell on it too much, Mari. I mean, nothing could have prepared us for what happened with DreamWeaver. There's no way either of us could have predicted he'd move on from whispering shitty things to full blown horrific visions."

"I know," weakly countered the young lady as she tried to no avail to retrieve her bag from her boyfriend. "But sitting here doing nothing just kills me."

"For now, let's head to school, alright? We're gonna be late again otherwise, and I can't possibly think of any plausible excuse to justify why we're both late."

"Adrien, I'm a superheroine, I can carry my own bag!" she hissed through clenched teeth, only to have her boyfriend hurry down the stairs laughing at her antics.

Still sulking about her Adrien's misplaced gallantry, Marinette had to reluctantly admit he was right, and she followed him downstairs, taking the hand he offered her when she caught up with him. She kissed her parents on their way out, promising to come back for lunch (and of course, Adrien would tag along, no need to worry) and they walked to school hand in hand, making it just in time for the bell to ring.

The first half of their classes of the day was nice and quiet for a change. They both had a few assignments to turn in, and an interesting experiment to conduct in their chemistry class, which proved to be trying on Adrien's nerves. Not that he had any problem with the class itself, if anything his homeschooling had put him a year or two ahead of his classmates if he was to be perfectly honest. No, what really riled him up and made him almost shatter a beaker, barely saved from utter and endless shame by Alya's lightning fast reflexes, was the fact that Marinette had been paired up with Nathanael as lab partners. The still functional part of his brain kept telling him that himself was paired with another girl and Marinette obviously wasn't making a fuss about it, but the other part of him, the one that was currently fantasizing about trying out Cataclysm on a certain redhead's sketchbook kept arguing back that neither him nor Alya ever had a crush on each other. Beyond that, Alya's was his girlfriend's best friend, so Marinette didn't have any reason to worry the slightest.

He, however, was rendered a total and unproductive mess of jealousy for the time being. The blond simply couldn't concentrate on the task at hand, entirely relying on poor Alya to keep up, instead shamelessly eavesdropping on the quiet chatter occurring a few workstations behind him. After a while, though, his lab partner nudged him playfully in the ribs, smiling mischievously at him. "What has gotten into you today, Agreste? You almost blew up the school twice already, and we aren't even halfway through the class."

Adrien shook his head vehemently, trying to reel his thoughts back into functioning gear. "I'm sorry, Alya, I just…"

The brunette didn't let him finish his empty apology, instead grabbing him by the shoulders and forcing him to look into her eyes. "Listen up, Agreste, Marinette's desperately head over heels for you. You know that, right? You don't have to worry about her being paired up with some other boy. Believe me, there's absolutely no way in this life or the next you have any competition in her heart."

Up until then, Adrien hadn't noticed the weight unpleasantly pressuring his shoulders. Alya's kind words made it suddenly disappear altogether, and he felt genuinely soothed. "Thanks, Alya. That's actually exactly what I needed to hear right now. You seem pretty sure about Mari's feelings, though?"

The grin that spread on the aspirant reporter's face was well worth admitting out loud his insecurities. "Hey, if you don't believe me, blondie, just ask your totally smitten girlfriend what names she has picked for your future children… and the hamster!"

At that Adrien chuckled lightly, intently setting his mind back on the class and the experiment they had to do, pushing his groundless worries at the back of his mind. Baby names was truly a talk for another time, though he couldn't help but wonder if Marinette liked Emma as much as he did for a girl.

* * *

Completely oblivious to her boyfriend's current inner turmoil, Marinette eyed Nathanael warily before making her move. She knew first hand the artist had had a crush on her at some point during their high school years, but she dearly hoped those days were over by then. What she needed was just an opening to put her plan into motion. Nathanael ultimately handed her the occasion she was waiting for on a silver platter as she was hunched over their workstation, trying to weight some borax powder while intently watching her lab partner's reactions from the corner of her eye.

"So. Adrien and you are a thing right now?" he offered weakly.

"Yeah. We're dating, if that's what you're trying to imply," she answered truthfully. The redhead blushed as he jolted down the measurements she just provided him with on their worksheet.

"What does he have to offer you that I don't?"

Marinette sighed, not wanting to break her kind friend's heart, although the discussion wasn't headed in the direction she wanted it to. "Actually, nothing. I think it's all about the chemistry between two persons, to be perfectly honest. Being with him feels right, like it's where I belong, where I always was meant to be."

Nathanael frowned. "But what if I wanted to be with you?"

Marinette took it as her cue to go through with her idea. "I'm sorry, but I'm not your soulmate, Nate. Never has been. But someone else may be."

"The redhead frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Give Chloe a chance. A real one. She truly cares about you. She's in love with the real Nathanael, the one that doodles meaningless things in his textbooks and soothes people with his art."

"But-"

Marinette smiled softly. "No buts. I genuinely think you both could bring a lot to each other."

"I never realized you two were such close friends."

The young woman shrugged. "We're not. But I still think you should give this a shot."

Nathanael flinched as he took another measurement. "Marinette, we're talking about Chloe. Evil spoiled brat? Does it ring a bell?"

Marinette sighed as she poured some blue liquid into a beaker. She had anticipated this reaction but had dearly hoped it wouldn't come to this. "Nate, do you even remember the last time Chloe said anything even remotely mean to anyone?"

Her shy classmate fell silent for a minute, and Marinette knew he was having the same reality check she had in the bathroom a few days prior when she had comforted a crying blonde. Pulling her last card, she whispered maliciously, "Actually, Nate, if I recall correctly you still owe me for helping Chat Noir save you when you got akumatized."

His eyes widened in horror. "Marinette, I meant it when I said I was in your debt, but choose anything but that, please!"

She grinned. "Nuh-uh. I'm calling my favor right now. Nathanael, please take Chloe out for a coffee or something. All I'm asking from you is trying. Get to know her."

The redhead nodded reluctantly and focused back on their experiment in silence, scared of what else Marinette would manage to coax out of him if they kept talking.

* * *

When the bell rang, Adrien gathered his things back and waited for Marinette outside the classroom, chatting casually with Nino to kill time. Nathanael suddenly burst out of the room with a panicked look on his face, making a beeline toward them and grabbing the blond's arm without further ceremony. "Agreste, your girlfriend is crazy."

Yanking his arm out of the redhead's grasp, Adrien retorted venomously, "What the heck are you talking about, Kurtzberg?"

"She just talked me into agreeing to get to know Chloe better."

The laughter that took hold of Nino at that precise moment was so unexpected and violent that it left him gasping for breath and clutching at his aching stomach. "Mari… is… rea-really… something… else… huh?"

Adrien smiled sympathetically at Nathanael, all anger forgotten. He didn't know why in the world his princess had done this, but he couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor lad.

"Guys, you have to help me. I can't stay alone with her, nothing good will come out of it," Nathanael whined weakly.

Nino piped in, "Don't worry man, we have your back."

"We do?" asked a stunned Adrien.

"Come on dude, your girlfriend put him into this mess. The least we can do is help him get out of it, right?"

A very relieved Nathanael thanked Nino over and over again. Adrien sighed, mildly annoyed with Marinette and her strange antics.

"We just have to make this a triple date. That way Chloe won't get suspicious, and you'll still hold your end of whatever bargain you have been dumb enough to make with Mari," explained Nino as he scanned the crowd of students looking for the girls. Sure enough, Marinette and Alya were painstakingly making their way toward them among the sea of moving people, the former looking utterly sheepish.

"Hey, ladies, what held you up?"

Alya chuckled loudly. "Miss Klutz-of-the-year here took it upon herself to knock down an entire workstation on her way out. I helped her clean up the mess."

Looking at Marinette's blushing face, eyes carefully avoiding his own, Adrien felt the remnants of whatever he held against her melt. Sure, she was sometimes careless and often acted before thinking, but it was always out of the best intentions. It was hard to stay mad at her knowing just how much of a good person she truly was at heart. He leaned in, planting a tender peck on her temple, chuckling softly in her ear, "You're adorable when you're blushing."

The blush deepened even more, making Alya and Nino snicker loudly beside them. Marinette playfully slapped him on the chest, clutching her books to her heart. "Let's head home instead, okay? Mom and Dad are waiting for us."

"Alright then. See you after lunch guys!"

They parted ways, Marinette and Adrien off to the bakery, Nino and Alya heading to the courtyard, Nathanael reluctantly seeking Chloe to ask her on the dreaded triple date.

Neither of them brought up the possessive arm Adrien had snaked around Marinette's waist the second she had been by his side, nor the murderous glances he kept casting Nathanael for the whole encounter.

Marinette and Adrien barely made it outside the school grounds when high-pitched screams startled them. They both groaned in unison, ducking into a nearby alley to transform.

"It's unfair, I was really looking forward to lunch," whined Chat Noir as soon as they exited the alley.

His partner nudged him playfully in the ribs, retrieving her yo-yo from her waist. "I'm famished too, Kitty. Let's get this akuma down in record time so we can actually eat something before going back to school."

He flashed her a toothy grin, clenching his baton in one hand and extending her the other. "Sound like a plan, m'lady."


	30. Chapter 30: Senseless

_**Fair warning: this chapter depicts explicit scenes!**_

* * *

Neither of them got their wish granted that day.

The akuma took a lot longer to vanquish than they would've liked. The superheroes had to chase the huge inflated bubble gum with blonde pigtails looking every bit like a scientific experiment gone wrong down the city streets. The akuma visibly had a blast throwing a disgusting gooey red substance everywhere, while shouting some rubbish about allowing children to get all the sweets they wanted to.

"Just our luck. Stuck fighting a food themed akuma while we're both starving," sighed Chat Noir as he avoided yet another string of the sticky projectiles.

Ladybug rolled her eyes as she effortlessly swung herself on top of a lamppost, attempting to figure out where in the world the akuma could have been hidden while trying to ignore the high-pitched voice of the monster screeching, "WHO GIVES A DAMN ABOUT CAVITIES? SUGAR, MORE SUGAR!"

"Well, isn't that just disgustingly sweet?" teased a very disgruntled feline, just in time to hear the muffled gasp his partner let out. "My lady?"

She didn't even bother to answer, barely moving her head toward the akuma. Still, years of fighting side by side had perfected their reading of each other body language as well as it could get, and he understood instantly what she expected from him.

Tearing his eyes from his partner, the leather-clad hero followed his lover's gaze, spotting some sort of plastic stick poking out of the giant pink bubble rolling down the street, with what looked like a really tiny ball at the end. A lollipop. Nodding imperceptibly at Ladybug, he used his baton to propel himself forward, dodging the oncoming akuma attacks, again and again, waiting for his lady's signal. They fell quickly into their usual dynamics, Chat Noir actively distracting the obnoxious akuma as Ladybug focused on devising a plan and putting it into work.

Somewhere along the way, though, the young man noticed to his heartbreaking dismay that his lady was standing right in the crossfire of an incoming giant bubblegum, obviously meant for him. She was so focused on wherever she was going to hook her yo-yo next at that precious second that she didn't realize what was coming.

Chat didn't have to think about it twice. He lunged for her in a desperate attempt to get her out of the way, out of harm.

That's when things went awry.

* * *

Shivering uncontrollably with teeth loudly chattering, Marinette shot an overly annoyed glance at her boyfriend, who slunked back sheepishly toward her after dealing on his own with the worried media. "I'm so, so sorry, Mari. Are you gonna be okay?"

Rolling her eyes at him, she snapped, "Just-Just peachy. Always d-dreamed of taking an unexpected p-plunge into a fountain while f-fighting a frustrated six-year-old, definitely something to c-check off my bucket list!"

Dropping his transformation, Adrien hastily took off his overshirt and draped it over her shoulders in a protective manner. "I said I was sorry! You were in the crossfire, I didn't want you to end up stuck in that melted candy or I don't even want to know what it really was."

She snorted inelegantly. "So you g-gallantly shoved me into a f-fucking fountain instead. How t-thoughtful of you."

Adrien groaned. "I didn't even see the goddamn fountain, Mari! It was an accident, I swear. I still got the akuma for you to de-evilize, though."

"Yeah, only b-because I startled her when I s-screamed at you and she actually d-dropped the fucking l-lollipop! Not quite a f-feat of s-strength if you a-ask me."

The young man only hunched his shoulders in defeat, knowing fairly well it was no use to argue with his lady when she was that much ticked off. "Anyway, Tikki, how come the cleansing spell didn't dry Marinette up?"

Tikki's small voice piped up from Marinette's purse. "Since it was not a direct result of the akuma's actions or will, the magic didn't feel the need to fix it. Really sorry about that, Marinette."

Shivering violently by then, the young lady only managed to whimper softly in answer, prompting Adrien to wrap his arm around her shoulders to try and grant her some warmth. "After all this chasing Candylicious around, my place ended up closer than yours. We have dry you off and get you something to eat before even considering heading back to school, okay, princess?"

Nodding softly, she tried to calm her desperately chattering teeth enough to speak clearly, but once it became obvious she wasn't going to succeed anytime soon. She pushed her phone into Adrien's hands with a defeated sigh, thankful her life-proof (and clumsy-proof) case had protected it from the water. Picking up instantly on her intentions, he dialed the bakery's number, internally cringing when he recognized Sabine's upset voice on the other end of the line. "Marinette? Sweetie, are you okay? There's was an akuma and-"

"Mari's perfectly fine, Sabine," said Adrien as he channeled what he hoped was his most reassuring voice. "However," he continued, "she fell into a fountain while we were escaping the area, and she's totally drenched and quite cold. I'm going to bring her to my house to get a nice hot shower and eat a bit, is that alright with you?"

The motherly sigh of relief he heard made him smile, and Sabine softly uttered, "Of course, Adrien. If she's with you, she's as safe as can be. Do you two plan on heading back to school afterward?"

Looking at the time on his own phone, Adrien cringed. "To be honest we may be a little short on time."

"Don't sweat it, dear. Please take care of my daughter, Tom's going to call the school to explain the situation on your behalf. We'll see you both for dinner tonight?"

Glancing at an upset and more and more sickly looking Marinette, he sighed into the phone. "Yeah, we'll be there. Really sorry for the inconvenience."

"Nonsense. Now go and heat my baby up before she catches a nasty cold."

As the call disconnected, Adrien's mind somehow processed Sabine's words with a delay, making him blush furiously. As he put back the little electronic device into Marinette's palm, she pressed her body against his in search of body heat, her eyebrows questioningly rising. "S-so? W-What d-did they say?"

He pulled her close to him, worried about how much her state had quickly degraded, and whispered in her ear, "We're both excused from class for this afternoon. And expected for dinner with your folks."

She chuckled lightly, selfishly leeching his body heat, not that he minded the slightest. "S-sounds like m-mom. I-I'm freezing, K-kitty."

Casting a warning glance to Plagg, effectively dissuading any attempt to refuse his plea, Adrien transformed on the spot, gathering her quivering lithe body in his arms bridal style before making a beeline toward the Agreste mansion.

Sliding into his room through the window with the ease of someone that had done it countless times, Chat Noir headed straight to his bathroom, turning the shower on a lukewarm temperature so his dear princess wouldn't burn her precious yet currently icy skin. He left the room without a word, leaving Marinette on her own to undress with unsure movements and put her numb body under the relaxing water of the shower. A few minutes passed, minutes the young woman spent reveling in the sensation of the tepid water warming her frozen limbs more and more by the second, washing away the uneasy feeling she had felt about being utterly soaked with dirty water, easing warmth back into her body.

After a while, though, as she was lost deep in thoughts, strong and muscular arms locked themselves around her waist as familiar soft lips pressed tenderly on her shoulder blade. "I'm so, so sorry I pushed you into that fountain, princess. Is there a way I can make it up to you?"

Spinning, Marinette found herself facing a very naked and very wet Adrien. "What did you have in mind, Kitty?" she asked coyly, her anger by then long forgotten. Hot and soft lips found hers as his strong hands and muscular body pinned her firmly against the shower wall. She felt his hardening manhood pressed against her thigh and moaned softly into the kiss. Knowing that she had done this to him, that her body was the fuel of this sudden need to touch her like she was his highly-addicted-to drug, made a surge of raw confidence shoot in her veins. Adrien's fingers caressed the small of her back hungrily, their embrace slowly growing more heated, more feral by the minute. Her lips left his, ignoring the soft whimper of disapproval that escaped her lover's throat, quickly followed by a surprised gasp as she effortlessly switched their positions, pressing his back to the wall, obviously taking control of their embrace from that moment.

Trailing a path of light kisses down his jawline, Marinette let her hands wander on his chest, tracing the curve of every muscle adoringly. Her lips ventured on their own down his neck, which prompted him to moan softly under the caress, his fingers firmly clutching her shoulder. He was hopelessly wrapped around her little finger by that point, and they both perfectly were aware of that fact even if neither of them cared the slightest. Her hot kisses trail followed through on his chest as her hands absentmindedly caressed the small of his back, moving onto his abdomen as she slowly stroked the soft skin of his outer thighs.

"M-Mari…" he whispered hoarsely. She smiled, an impish smile that Adrien saw through heavy lidded eyes.

"What is it, Kitty? You can dish it out but you can't take it?"

By that point, it was obvious Adrien wasn't able to think clearly anymore. He wanted nothing more in that very second than bury himself inside her and hear her moan his name over and over again.

"No, but- AH!"

The young man's legs almost gave out under him as she took his length into her mouth without further warning, gently stroking him with her tongue as she wrapped her hand around the base of his shaft. He steadied himself clumsily on the wall behind him, only managing to whisper with anguish, "Ma-Mari…"

His fingers tangled themselves in her dark hair as he groaned audibly. Marinette took it as an encouragement to continue what she was doing, and she eagerly pumped him, gently caressing the base of his manhood as her mouth went on with its loving work. There was so much Adrien could take, and soon enough he was quivering under her touch. "Mari… stop, I'm going to-"

Smiling, Marinette stopped for a split second, still caressing him with her hand. "That's it, Kitty. Come for me."

The next stroke of her tongue softly caressing his glans signed his undoing. Her words, coupled with the position they currently found themselves into and the overwhelming sensation of the warmth of her mouth around his cock was just too much to bear for him. He twitched once or twice into her hold, and his release overcame him before he could say or do anything else. To his great surprise, Marinette didn't back out, instead savoring every drop of his orgasm, even licking her lips as she got back up. "Hmm… You taste as sweet as you are, chaton."

Still hazed in the aftermaths of his climax, Adrien managed to get one clear thought: he wanted her to come for him too. Turning off the shower in one swift motion, he picked her up in his arms, carrying her out of his bathroom to his bedroom.

"Adrien! We're dripping wet!" she vainly tried to protest.

"Don't care," was the only reply he managed to give, his mind a thick blur of lust. Laying her carefully on his bed, the young man took a few seconds to take in the beauty of the splendid woman sprawled onto his mattress, stark naked, and only waiting for him to have his way with her.

"I love you so much. "

A fiery blush spread on her cheeks, making Adrien chuckle. "Really, princess? After what you've just done, you blush hearing that I love you?"

Marinette stuck her tongue out childishly, crossing her arms over her bare breasts. "I didn't expect you to be able to continue, to be honest."

The blond grinned, dipping his head to kiss the crook of her neck tenderly. "Did you really think you could pull a trick like that on me without me retaliating in some way?"

His fingers found her folds, toying with her clitoris in a way that almost instantly made her arch even more against his skin.

"A-A-Adrien!"

Her moaning prompted him to shove first a digit, then two into her wetness, while his thumb rested lazily on her clit, making sure neither of them was neglected. He toyed with her like that for a few minutes before a panting Marinette barely managed to whisper, "I… I kinda really want to ride you…"

Picking up on what she wanted, Adrien reluctantly let go of her pleasure and sat up, happily letting her climb in his lap. Straddling his hips, Marinette positioned herself over his length, blue staring into green as she lowered herself onto him. Adrien was quick to realize the perks of the new position, as while Marinette set her own rhythm riding him to her pleasure he was free to suck on her nipple while his hands were helping her to keep the right angle.

Soon enough, Marinette got nigh-drunk on his touch. His hands on her rump, his lips on her breasts, his manhood inside her, it was too much to bear for her all at once, and she shattered into pure bliss around him, melting in his embrace as she dissolved into pleasure. He was quick to follow through, emptying himself into her yet a second time that afternoon.

It took both of them a few minutes to came to their senses. Adrien was the first to recover, gently patting his girlfriend on the shoulder. "As much as I'd really want to spend the remaining of my life like this with you, your parents are expecting us for dinner."

Still lying motionless against his chest, Marinette mumbled, "Don't wanna move. You're comfy."

"Princess, I'm pretty sure your parents expect you to actually see you dressed and functional."

She groaned, burying her face in his shoulder. "Just tell them you fucked me senseless and I'm currently passed out on your bed, trying to recover. I don't think my legs are going to work anytime soon."

He chuckled, a thing that should be meaningless but still was weird while he was still inside her. "Somehow I don't see this conversation going well with your dad. However, if I'm correct, you just fucked me senseless, princess."

Marinette didn't answer, instead wrapping herself around him, reveling into the heat of his skin. She just kissed his chin, whispering softly, "I love you, Adrien."

"I love you too, princess."


	31. Chapter 31: Careful

Once they both finally recovered enough to pull apart from each other, Marinette frowned as she remembered what brought them in Adrien's room to begin with. "I guess I'll have to put back on my wet clothes…" she whined softly into his neck.

Stroking her back absentmindedly, Adrien tenderly kissed the top of her head. "Actually, I have some spare clothes on hand for you here."

Startled, Marinette's head jerked upright, looking at her boyfriend quizzically. "What? You've taken up designing too?"

Suddenly looking uneasy, the blond whispered softly as he shook his head. "After I found out about… well, who you were, I figured I might as well be ready for any situations that might arise. I asked Natalie to find one or two outfits that would fit you along with some toiletries. Considering how we both had to deal with detransforming in unfit places on our own before, I fully expected things like today to happen. I wanted my room to be ready to offer you shelter, and have clean clothes ready for you should you need them someday."

Marinette smiled fondly at her boyfriend. "That certainly was very thoughtful of you, but didn't she find it was a weird request?"

Making his way toward his dresser in his naked splendor, Adrien just shrugged. "I'll remind you that I'm the one stuck with the camembert-eating kwami. A gluttonous one, to top it off. So asking for a spare outfit for a dear friend of mine known to have a great tendency to clumsiness wasn't that farfetched compared to the endless amount of camembert she thinks I'm ingesting daily."

Marinette was about to answer when Plagg protested loudly, "Hey! I'm not a glutton!"

"Always been, always going to be," retorted Tikki, half laughing from the cupboard where both kwamis had been sleeping, giving their charges privacy.

Marinette took the clothes Adrien was offering her shyly and immediately tried them on, astonished to note they were a perfect fit. They were simple yet beautiful, a black pair of skinny jeans paired with a hot pink chiffon blouse adorned with black lace short sleeves. Even the underwear, panties and bra cut in a baby pink light cotton, were surprisingly fitting her nicely and had obviously been chosen with comfort and practicality in mind. Noticing the tag, the young woman squealed, "Adrien, this is way too much, I can't possibly accept Agreste brand clothes!"

He quirked an eyebrow at her, visibly vehemently disagreeing with her. "You mean I can't offer clothes designed by my father, to which I have absolute free and unlimited access at any given time, to my gorgeous girlfriend?"

Marinette blushed deeply, analyzing her reflection in Adrien's mirror. "I can't win this argument, huh?"

With a smug smile, the young man shook his head. "Not a chance."

"Alright then. Thank you, they're lovely."

Grinning, the blond laced his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. "No, you are lovely. About what happened earlier, though…"

Bluebell eyes met his green darkened gaze and read an infinite amount of worry in it. "What about it?"

'" don't like it. We always thought we were virtually untouchable as our civilian selves while suited, and that your cleansing spell would fix everything at the end of the battle."

Marinette's expression turned grim as she processed his words. "Yeah, it's been bugging me all afternoon too. What if a civilian gets hurt by the commotion created by an akuma apparition instead of by the akuma directly? I won't be able to fix it and-"

Tikki's small voice interrupted them. "You both need to stop worrying that much about everything. Yes, the cleansing spell has its limits. In all the years you two have been fighting, it's the first time ever either of you suffers lasting consequences from an encounter. What does that tell you?"

"One time is one time too many, Tikki."

Plagg flew into view, gently patting his charge on the cheek, an unusually tender gesture for the black creature. "I know you're worried kid, but you've both been doing fine all along. Just be careful and look out for each other's safety, like you always do."

Both young adults nodded, eying each other warily. Marinette knew her lover was upset by the mere idea of her getting hurt, but she wasn't doing much better on her part. Ever since Plagg had slipped up about the heart-wrenching fate of his previous kitten, she was madly worried about her chaton. Though she fully intended to cheat fate and having him walk out of the final fight with Hawkmoth on his own two feet even if it cost her her very life in order to do so, she perfectly well knew it wasn't going to be easy.

As if he had read her grim thoughts, Adrien reached for her arm, gently drawing circles with his thumb on her milky skin, seemingly shaking his own worries away. "Hey, we're in this together, okay? Plagg's right, we just have to do what we always do, protect each other in fight. One mishap doesn't mean it's going to happen again. It just means we have to be more careful from now on."

She frowned slightly, wrapping her arms around herself in a protective manner. "I still don't like it. If Hawkmoth learns about that limit he may…"

"He won't," countered Adrien confidently. "Because we won't let him, okay, Bugaboo?"

Marinette simply nodded, not trusting her voice to be steady enough to answer him. They packed their things, the young lady insisting that Adrien to bring his overnight bag considering her dad's growing obsession with getting him to sleep over. He sent a quick text to Natalie to let her know about his whereabouts for the evening, and then they were on their way.

* * *

When they reached the bakery, they barely even made it through the door when they both were grabbed into a bone crushing bear hug, Tom Dupain sighing loudly in relief. "Sabine told me what happened. Thanks for taking care of my baby girl, Adrien."

Blushing deeply, the young man pulled away from the hug. "What kind of boyfriend would I be to her otherwise?"

Sabine's soft voice came from the other room, with an obvious smirk spread on her face as she entered the dining room, a steaming pot clutched in her hands. "The kind that wouldn't ever get invited for dinner in this house. Good evening, dear. How are you feeling, Marinette? Still cold?"

The young woman by his side smiled warmly at her mother. "I'm okay, I took a hot shower at Adrien's and he borrowed those clothes from his father's designs for me. You should see his bathroom, though, it's ridiculously huge for one person."

The older woman sighed disapprovingly. "For one way too thin growing person. Eat up, Adrien, you need to put a little meat on those bones.

The blond smiled as he saw his lovely girlfriend roll her eyes at her mom's antics and sat down beside the young woman, happily digging into the delicious casserole that had been served. The meal was spent in a comfortable conversation, her parents asking about his likes and dislikes, about the kind of childhood he had and what his plans were for the future. When they brushed that topic, Adrien couldn't keep himself from casting a glance to the woman he loved. He wasn't sure about his career plans just yet, but he knew for certain that he wanted Marinette to be a part of his future, no matter what it would take to make it happen. If her parents noticed his stray glances, they didn't mention it, which he was grateful for. "I'd like to be a physics teacher. Or a stay-at-home dad, whichever comes first. Anyway, it's more than likely that I'll get some managing position at Agreste and be stuck with it, so…"

Tom shook his head. "Nonsense. You shouldn't be pushed into a career you don't want. Let's say your career will last from twenty to sixty-five, that's forty-five years of your life you're going to waste on something you despise."

Taken aback, Adrien could only muster. "I-I know that, but-"

"No buts, son. Choose a career path that fulfills you. If your father disagrees, he'll come around eventually. And if he doesn't, I'll be more than happy to fill his shoes for you."

Tearing up, Adrien could only nod and whisper softly, "Thanks, Tom. That means a lot to me."

Smiling broadly, the baker suddenly donned a very serious expression. "Can I ask something from you two, kids?"

Startled, Marinette prompted her father to go on, "What is it, Papa?"

"Could you two try to be careful, please? It seems you both are always caught up in the crossfire of akumas, and I'm about to lose my mind with worry."

Both young adults looked at each other warily, Adrien nodding ever so subtly to his lady, who answered her father softly, "Of course, Papa. We'll try our best to stay away from trouble."

* * *

A few hours later, long after both young people had retreated to Marinette's bedroom, Tom Dupain pushed the kitchen's door open watched silently as his wife was skillfully brewing a kettle of tea, her lips barely even a thin line. "What are you still doing up, Sabine? We have to be down in the bakery in not even two hours, you should be fast asleep."

His wife shook her head, clutching on her mug as she headed toward their couch. "I couldn't sleep."

A rather heavy silence fell between them.

"I'm scared for them, too," Tom finally stated as he poured himself a cup of tea from the still-brewing kettle, taking a sit beside his wife, ever so careful to lower his whispers so the young lovebirds he assumed to be sleeping upstairs wouldn't hear their discussion.

"I know," his wife answered gently. "But you can't try to force them to reveal themselves like that, honey. What did you expect them to answer by asking them to stay away from akumas? Grandfather specifically demanded they keep their identities to themselves, and they're actually obeying him. Knowing our daughter as we do, even Adrien finding out was more than likely an accident."

The burly man frowned. "That old bat of yours is downright crazy. Giving that kind of responsibilities to poor kids…"

Sabine sighed. "It's way more complicated than that, and you know it. Grandfather didn't choose them, the magic did on its own. Considering their genetics, it was to be fully expected, Tom. I mean, I'm the only generation that was blissfully spared, and we both know fully well it was only because I was pregnant with Marinette at that time. And Amelya…"

The woman's voice broke evoking her old friend, and her husband patted her back reassuringly in little circles, prompting her to resume her train of thought. "She would be truly heartbroken, seeing her only son being so lonely and miserable. It truly does scares me, Tom. Marinette's gonna fight tooth and nail to come back home to us. But Amelya's boy doesn't have a home to go back to anymore. I'm afraid he'll do something rash to protect our baby and we'll lose him along the way."

Tom features softened considerably hearing his wife's concerns. "He does have a home now: here, with us. It's up to us to make him feel like he does, honey, and make him want to come back to us."

Sabine pushed her mug away on the coffee table in frustration. "I know, but it'd be so much easier for all of us if they could talk to us, know they can rely on us no matter what."

The big man fidgeted nervously with his own mug, before finally speaking what was truly on his mind. "Do you think he knows?"

"That his very own son is Chat Noir? I really, really doubt it. He would probably have taken his miraculous away in the poor boy's sleep already if he knew."

Tom frowned even further. "This is wrong on so many levels…"

The small Asian woman smiled softly at her husband. "Gabriel was never meant to be a miraculous holder, Tom. He stole the butterfly brooch from his wife's dead body, and he is driven by nothing but grief. He wants Amelya back, no matter the cost."

Shouldn't we tell them?"

Sabine shook her head vehemently, all the possible consequences of such a reveal playing before her eyes. "That Gabriel Agreste is Hawkmoth? I don't think it would end up good. Somehow, I can't picture Adrien taking the news very well. And both of them will need to be levelheaded for the final encounter to go as well as possibly can be."

Seeing as her husband was still frowning deeply, Marinette's mom asked as softly as she could, "Why do you care so much about Adrien's well-being suddenly, anyway?"

The baker looked at her like she had totally lost her mind. "Our baby girl loves him so much… If anything was to happen to him, I don't think she'll ever fully recover from it. And if Adrien loses her …"

A finger was placed upon his lips before he could even finish his sentence. "That boy is way stronger than his father ever was. Should anything happen to our sweet little Mari, he won't ever lose his mind like his father did from the loss. Besides, we'll be there to support him and take care of him."

Sighing as he looked into the distance of his livingroom window, Tom Dupain took in the beautiful Parisian night they had been granted with. Sighing lightly, he added softly, "Is it wrong of me to wish it would be us instead of them?"

"Believe me, honey, I've been wishing the same thing ever since our baby got her kwami."


	32. Chapter 32: Triple date

Much to the boys' dismay, the scheduled date for their group outing eventually rolled around way sooner than any of them would've liked it to. None of them was looking forward to a whole afternoon of Chloe's constant whining, nagging and bitching, but Nathanael had to honor the promise he had unwillingly made to Marinette, so, albeit quite reluctantly, the three of them showed up at the meeting point they had agreed on with a few minutes to spare. Nathanael's face was white as a sheet and he kept nervously toying with the lapel of his jacket. If Adrien was to be completely honest, his red-haired friend looked like he was going to be sick at any given time.

"I still say your girlfriend's crazy, Agreste."

Smirking knowingly, the blond retorted without a second thought. "What can I say? I love them cunning and scheming."

"Who's scheming?" piped up the lovely voice of the aforementioned crazy girlfriend, gliding in his ears like honey. Spinning on his heels, Adrien found himself staring into the bluebell orbs he had grown so fond of.

Clad in black leggings and a half-thigh long deep red knitted tunic, she looked as stunning as always. Her black silky hair had been tied into a tight braid adorned with a ribbon matching her shirt, and she had switched her usual pink purse for a smaller black one.

"Still big enough for Tikki and Plagg to get comfortable," thought Adrien, knowing fairly well that it was more than likely the very reason the young woman had bothered to bring a purse at all. Greeting him with a soft and quick peck on the lips, she went on hugging briefly both Nino and Nathanael, to the blond's barely concealed displeasure. The lingering tension was quickly dissolved by Alya's arrival, sporting comfortable attire very similar to Marinette's.

The brunette launched herself at her boyfriend's neck as always, grinning ear to ear. "I hope you know we love you, Marinette, otherwise none of us would have agreed to do this."

"Oh hush, you people of little faith."

Nino's witty reply was cut short by Chloe's entrance. Surprisingly, the mayor's daughter had obviously made an effort to look more approachable, more down to earth than she usually was.

Instead of her usual designer capris, she was wearing ordinary jeans and sneakers. A blue long-sleeved sweater with a soft V-neck completed her casual look, and she had left her blond locks loose, forgetting her signature ponytail for a day. Adrien had to admit that despite the grudges he held against his blonde counterpart, she was rather pretty when she was dressed like that, seeming almost approachable. Nathanael broke the awkward silence with a shaky voice. "A-Alright girls, what do you have in store for us?"

Adrien could tell the redhead was still a nervous wreck and was impressed by the way his voice hadn't broken up more than it did by the end of his sentence. A grinning Marinette hooked her arm on his own and proudly announced, "We're going ice skating! Isn't that nice?"

All three of the boys groaned comically, prompting the girls to burst into eager giggles. Chloe shyly (an emotion Adrien wasn't aware she was even capable of) offered, "Should we get going?"

"Of course, lead the way, ladies," was the only thing the young model could come up with, seeing as his mind was occupied by his lovely girlfriend gently stroking his arm in a seemingly innocent manner.

As they walked toward the indoor skating rink, Adrien watched, amazed, as Marinette's plan slowly became obvious, at least to him. Alya and Nino were walking a few steps ahead of the group, chatting quietly among themselves, but the young designer kept prompting Nathanael to speak about him by asking small and apparently innocent questions under the pretense of small talk. Given that he himself didn't know the redhead that much on a personal level, he was able to learn along with the more than attentive mayor's daughter that Nathanael Kurtzberg wanted to work in animation someday, probably on something related to kids. He also was a huge diehard Disney fan, apparently a common interest among the four of them. The young man had a part-time job in some art supplies store to help pay for his own material, his employee discount working wonders for his unwavering dedication to drawing. When he wasn't drawing, he was a very avid reader. When this particular piece of information was released, all thanks to Marinette once again, Adrien watched as Chloe perked up visibly, tentatively including herself into the discussion. He knew the blonde was herself a rather avid reader. Years of playing the pretty doll part besides her father through all sorts of official events had prompted her to quietly divert herself in one way or another, and Chloe had found her escape into literature just as himself had found a welcomed salute in video games.

As he witnessed Chloe and Nathanael engage flawlessly into a full fledged debate on which character of some obscure fantasy series was the most biased on some topic he didn't even bother analyzing, Adrien couldn't help but yield to his girlfriend's insight. The pair was obviously disagreeing, but they were now at least on speaking grounds, and if Chloe's smile was anything to go by, the young man knew she was finally feeling at ease with her redhead crush. Grabbing Marinette's hand, he held her back slightly, just enough to fall out of earshot of the odd pair.

"You're a genius, Mari. I hope you know that."

She beamed at him, lacing her fingers through his. "I'm glad you think so; apparently the rest of the class thinks I've gone mad."

The blond chuckled softly. "Yeah, and a dangerous kind even. Good thing I can handle you just fine, my lady."

She punched his arm playfully, lowering her voice seeing as they finally had reached their destination and they were closing the distance between them and their friends. "Oh, can you now, Chaton? I'm perfectly capable of tying you up to the Eiffel tower, and you know that."

"You wouldn't dare!" theatrically gasped Adrien, effectively bringing the attention of the rest of their group upon themselves.

Cocking her hip aside, Alya smirked playfully. "Hey, lovebirds, if you wanted some time alone you could've just asked!"

"Adrien and I were just having a little disagreement back there."

Nino chuckled as Adrien raised a stunned eyebrow. "We did? About what?"

"Whether or not Ladybug could tie Chat Noir on the Eiffel Tower."

"Why in the world would she do such a thing?" asked a taken aback Nathanael.

Chloe scoffed beside him, a little of the confidence she was usually showing at school returning. "Oh please. If she asked him to do it he would tie himself up there. That cat would do anything for her, it's disgustingly cute."

"Yeah, but let's say he wouldn't cooperate, would she succeed?" Marinette pressed further, a wide grin stretching her pink lips. He could tell his girlfriend was enjoying the way the discussion had shifted and seeing her almost glowing with glee he couldn't bring himself to care about the biased opinion their little group obviously had about his heroic counterpart.

He stopped listening to Alya and Nino's rant about why Ladybug would totally be able to kick his leather clad ass in a heartbeat and instead wrapped the object of his affections in a tight hug, whispering in her ear, "They're all wrong you know."

"Oh, how so?"

"You love me too much to beat me up."

Her laugh was music to his ears.

Their little group went to rent skates for all of them and broke into pairs as they reached the ice. Nino and Alya went first, playfully nudging each other and actively trying to make the other trip. They had been dating for so long that they were as comfortable as can be with each other, best friends as well as lovers, and their relationship was really an example to follow in his eyes. Chloe looked shyly at her date, asking in a subdued voice if he wanted to skate around the rink with her a little. Nathanael's face was still a little paler than usual, but at least he didn't look like he was going to throw up or faint anymore. Adrien couldn't help the smile that came upon his lips when he witnessed the redhead offering the young blonde his arm and leading her to the rink. Taking Marinette's small hand into his, he followed them, skating for a little bit around the rink hand in hand with her, both of them being cautious of keeping some distance between them and their friends to give them a bit of intimacy. Adrien caught Chloe's expression a few times watching them from afar, amazed to read a content smile on her lips and gratefulness in her eyes.

Nathanael still seemed a little bit wary, somewhat guarded. He looked like he was half expecting Chloe to turn into a monster at any given time, like he couldn't believe he was actually somehow enjoying spending time with the mayor's daughter.

Still, the outing Marinette and Alya had planned was going flawlessly so far. The six of them seemed to have fun and enjoy themselves, quite surprisingly.

A sudden crash tore his gaze away from the lithe figure of Marinette and snapped his attention back to the blonde and redhead pair, worry piling up in his stomach as he noticed Chloe had collided with a kid no older than ten years old and was currently splayed out awkwardly on the ice, rubbing her knee with a shocked expression. That didn't bode well, knowing the girl and her great tendency for drama, she would get howling and demanding punishment to be brought on the frightened child at any given time now. A quick glance to Marinette confirmed him that she, too, was watching the scene warily, unsure of the right way to react or if they should intervene.

And then Chloe laughed.

Not her usual snickers or sarcastic laughs. A true one, genuine and sincere, akin to the one he loved so much hearing from his princess' lips. The lingering tension instantly dissolved as the blonde laughed heartily, clutching her sides and accepting Nathanael's offered hand to get back up. Her good mood was contagious apparently, since the redhead followed suit with her, smiling widely at her as she helped the kid up. "Oh my god, I wish I could've seen the look on my face, it must have been hilarious!"

Amazed, Adrien watched as that simple laugh, that simple but humble laugh managed to bring down the remaining wall between the shy artist and the renowned fashionista. All of a sudden, they seemed a lot more comfortable with each other, Nathanael inquiring softly about her wellbeing and her answering with a genuine smile that actually reached her blue eyes, illuminating her whole face.

With a quick peck on his lips, Marinette excused herself from Adrien's company, stealing an eager Alya from her own boyfriend. The girls skated away from them laughing and giggling as they roughhoused each other much like the brunette had done with Nino a few moments prior.

"Dude, want a break?"

The blond smirked. "Yeah, actually I think I'm done. How about some hot chocolate?"

The DJ went to return their skates to the rental counter as Adrien went to order two hot chocolates. As he waited for the drinks, he sighed, contemplating the woman he loved having fun with her best friend, not a care in the world showing on her beautiful face. This was how things were supposed to be. Knowing the second uncured akuma was still looming somewhere in the shadows, becoming stronger with every day that passed, was unnerving, and he couldn't help himself but wondering if they would be able to defeat it without casualties when it would finally attack.

Sitting side by side on a bench, Adrien didn't notice he was lost in his worries until Nino leaned in toward his blond best friend and nudged him to get his attention. "Hey, dude, you okay?"

Snapping out of his grim thoughts, he took a second to compose himself before smiling reassuringly at his friend "Yeah, don't mind me. I was just thinking about Mari."

"Your girlfriend is really something, dude. She and Chloe have always been like cat and dog, and there she is, going out of her way to make a date happen between her nemesis and her crush. I mean, what were the odds that it would work out just fine?"

Adrien glanced up to the amazing girl he loved so much, watching in awe as she skated gracefully, obviously laughing heartily at something Alya had just said. On the other side of the rink, Nathanael and Chloe seemed deep in discussion, barely even moving on the ice at all, and even from a distance, the blond could see blushes spreading on the pair's cheeks. "Yeah," he sighed dreamily, "she truly is miraculous."

The teasing reply Nino was about to give him died on his lips when loud crashes and screams came from outside the building. Instantly, Adrien jumped to his feet, sparking into his heroic persona without a hitch. "Nino, Alya and you run to cover. Nate, escort Chloe home. Mari, with me."

The authority with which his words were spoken visibly took his friends by surprise, but none of them dared to argue.

Marinette nodded softly at him, and when they were sure all of their friends were effectively taking shelter and were no longer paying attention to them, they broke into a sprint, hand in hand, toward the commotion.


	33. Chapter 33: Chemical

As soon as Marinette had heard the screams, her inner Ladybug had started showing right away despite her best efforts, much like Adrien's Chat had instantly kicked in. Truth be told, her situation wasn't quite ideal for springing into action: she was standing in the middle of a skating rink, surrounded by friends and bystanders, with skates tightly laced around her ankles. Thank heavens, Adrien had already put his shoes back on at the time, giving him a headstart on her should the need arise. Nonetheless, she had hastily dragged Alya off the ice and had removed the skates just as fast as if they had been on fire. Never in her life had she put her shoes on faster than that night, and by the time Adrien was done giving his safety directives to their startled friends who didn't dare to argue back at the suddenly authoritarian blond model, she had been ready to run with him.

And now, as they both sprinted down the street hand in hand, Marinette couldn't help but berate herself once again for having insisted on keeping their civilian identities to themselves for so long. She could see without a single doubt just how mistaken she had been about the whole ordeal. Sure, the thought of Hawkmoth figuring either of their identities and connecting the dots from there was still a little unnerving, but if Marinette was to be entirely honest with herself, knowing that Chat Noir was her dear Adrien simplified things in more than one way. It was so much easier for both of them to deal with akumas when you have an alibi ready on hand at any given time. Alya wasn't fussing over her going in the wrong direction yet again, Nino wasn't yelling at her to come back, bringing unwanted attention to her as she was searching for a safe spot to transform away from prying eyes. According to their friends, she was currently running to safety with Adrien in tow instead of rushing right into the eye of the tornado, and was left to mind her own business. What would've been nearly impossible to justify convincingly just a few months before now was as natural to her, and surely to him as well, as was breathing.

Once the heroes made it close enough to the scene to confirm without any lingering doubt that there indeed was an akuma roaming Paris' streets and that their intervention was definitely needed, they ducked into a nearby alleyway together, still hand in hand, smiling at each other with wide and exhilarating grins as they both finally transformed into their superhero personas.

Chat Noir was the first to exit the lane, breaking into a comfortable sprint toward the brand new supervillain, while Ladybug soared into the sky above him, swinging from building to building, never leaving her kitty fall out of her sight. They reached the angry akuma in the blink of an eye, and both groaned loudly in disappointment as they took in its uncanny appearance, frustrated at the blatant lack of stars or astronaut suits altogether.

Despite their most heartfelt wishes, today's akuma was not a space themed one.

Therefore, it wasn't the elusive akuma they were both desperately aching to defeat at last and get done with at last. Their sword of Damocles was still hanging above their heads.

Sharing a knowing and heavy look with her partner, Ladybug landed softly in front of the latest of Hawkmoth's victims, who turned out to be a young man no older than his twenties wearing a long lab coat stained with multicolored spots. Three large synthetic belts were overlapping on his hips with what looked to be plastic balls the size of a fist attached to it, full of multicolored mist. His purple hair was sticking up on his head just like something had blown up in his face recently and his safety goggles were glooming with a sickly matching tone.

"I'd watch out, kitty, he seems to be in an explosive mood."

Chat Noir put on a show, gasping loudly and pressing both of his hands on his heart. "A pun! My lady just made a pun! Is it Christmas yet?"

"Chat…" scolded the spotted heroine gently.

Laughing, he pulled out his baton with a few twirls for the show, and took his battle stance. "Yeah right, all work and no play. Let's show the mad scientist just how great our chemistry is, alright, Bugaboo?"

Apparently, that's the line the akuma wasn't willing to cross. If he had previously listened to the heroes silly banter with a defiant look on his face, now it was pure hatred that was splashed on it. "I am Chemical! Hand me your miraculous or feel the wrath of the elements of the periodic table!"

Ladybug couldn't help the loud giggle that escaped her lips, startling both the villain and her partner.

Chat Noir looked at her in disbelief. "Why in the world are you laughing? We're kinda in a fight right now!"

After all, she had just scolded him for not being focused enough! "We found your akuma persona! Your akumasona!"

On second thought, maybe she had gone crazy over the course of the last five minutes.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Sure enough, if you come to be akumatized someday, you'd be this guy: a huge science nerd."

"ENOUGH!" boomed the voice of Chemical, instantly sobering Ladybug's laughs and snapping both of their attention to the fight.

"If you're so stubborn about keeping your miraculous to yourselves, I fear our relationship is going to get a little chilly."

Grabbing one of the colorful balls hanging on his belts, the akuma threw it at their feet before either of them even had time to blink. The ground froze beneath them, an icy patch of concrete stretching on a ten feet radius making it really hard for both of the heroes to maintain their balance. After a few seconds of frantic arms flailing and improvised leather boot skating, Chat tried to extend his staff in a desperate attempt to vault himself out of the slippery patch and reach the villain, but the silver baton just slipped lamely on the ice and Chat Noir all but collapsed on the ground. Rolling her eyes at his vain try, Ladybug quickly grabbed him by the wrist and expertly locked her yo-yo onto a nearby building, effectively taking them both out of harm's way. Madly cackling as he watched them fly out of his trap, Chemical grinned from ear to ear, a truly unnerving sight.

"There's plenty of elements to play with, plenty of combinations! I'm far from done with you, don't you worry!"

"Chat, grab his goggles!" exclaimed the spotted heroine as she landed them safely about twenty feet from the mad scientist.

Nodding eagerly, the human feline purred with a smirk before dashing down the street, staff in hand. "Gladly, my lady."

A sudden explosion of some other chemical mix a few inches from his cheek broke his sprint and sprung Ladybug into action. They spent the next few minutes dodging various balls tossed at them sloppily, made out of various chemical substances, as usual having each other's back, deflecting rather aggressive hits meant for their beloved partner, respectively spinning staff and yo-yo to fend them off effectively. Some of the akuma's balls exploded loudly as they hit any hard surface, filling the street with colorful and sometimes stinky blinding fumes. Some of the other plastic spheres covered the concrete with some weird sticky or slippery substance, effectively impairing the heroes movements and making them lose precious seconds throughout the fight.

"Never had a clue Hawkmoth was a Disney fan." Chat Noir sighed after another colorful explosion.

"What do you mean?"

Chat Noir chuckled loudly. "This akuma is clearly a Big Hero 6's Honey Lemon rendition."

She rolled her eyes at him, a smile she didn't bother to try to hide dancing on her lips. They had been at it for far too long already, dodging and deflecting the projectiles without making real progress, and it was getting on her nerves.

The worst blow, though, was the one the akuma tossed at Ladybug with a definite smirk spread on his lips, seeing as she was effectively distracted with the tedious task of ungluing her left hand from a lamppost and wouldn't have time to react. Without any hesitation, Chat Noir jumped in front of her, fully prepared to take the hit on her behalf as he always did.

What the leather clad hero wasn't prepared for, though, was the rather violent reaction caused by that specific projectile.

The ball ruptured right the second it came in contact with his arm, throwing both of Paris' superheroes flying backward and gluing them to the brick wall behind them in some sort of hard substance. Their bodies were intertwined in a rather weird way inside the bubble, and Ladybug couldn't help but think that if they hadn't already been lovers at the time, their position would have been way more than awkward. Chat huffed loudly, rolling his green eyes under the black mask. "First Honey Lemon, and now it's the Bubbler all over again. Honestly, does Hawkmoth have any imagination, at all?"

Prodding the material of their unfortunate prison with a finger, the red-clad heroine whispered, "Spare your breath, this doesn't look very porous."

Sure enough, it only took a few seconds before they both find breathing to be laborious. His lady shot him a panicked glance, and the young man knew instantly what he had to do. He couldn't let them both suffocate to death in their odd prison even if he was a little uneasy at the idea of bursting the bubble without being aware of their current altitude. Sure, they couldn't be that high given the fact that the akuma had latched them onto a building, but they very well could be high enough to cause some serious damage if they were low enough to be short on reaction time once the bubble burst.

Nonetheless, he had to act, and he had to act fast since Ladybug's lips were already taking a bluish hue. Gathering the last of the air he had in his lungs, he disengaged his hands from beneath her to avoid any chance of hurting her on accident and spoke as softly as he could, "Cataclysm."

As soon as his gloved hand came in contact with the unnatural material it disintegrated completely, making them tumble inelegantly to the ground. Just as Chat had feared, there wasn't enough time for either of them to extend the staff or hook the yo-yo somewhere to soften the blow of their fall. Reacting out of sheer instinct, he locked his arms and legs around her lithe body, pressing her head into the crook of his neck and protecting it with both of his hands. Shifting ever so lightly mid-fall, he twisted them so she'd land on top of him. His back hit the concrete, hard, an intense pain shot through his left elbow. It hurt like hell, his whole arm reverberating the impact, but Chat Noir clenched his teeth and dealt with it. His lady was safe from harm, that was the only thing that mattered.

Apparently, he made a poor job of hiding it, because Ladybug almost instantly leaned back, extending her arms to support her weight off him, and eyed him with great concern. "Are you okay? You didn't have to take the hit for us both."

The leather clad boy shook his head as his girlfriend scrambled back up to her feet, extending him a hand to help him up. "Nonsense. It's my job to protect you."

Another ball flew near his ear, barely missing him, answering the question whether or not the akuma had noticed yet they had escaped his trap.

"Stop stalling, there's no way that fall left you unscathed."

Without thinking, Chat Noir rolled his shoulders, extending his left hand to grab his baton, and let out a loud yelp. His lady's focus instantly snapped back on him as he clutched his right hand on his shoulder. He smiled sheepishly. "It's nothing, let's get that akuma."

Right on cue, his ring made a loud beep of warning, earning him a scowl from Ladybug. "You're hurt, and you're about to detransform."

"We have an akuma to defeat."

Swirling her yo-yo to deflect a few other balls coming their way as the akuma began to resent being ignored, she cast him a warning glance. "The skylight is open. I think there are cheese crackers on my desk. Go, recharge and come back. I'll manage in the meantime."

"My lady…"

"Go, Chat," she snarled before taking off, leaving him on his own to fend with his dislocated shoulder by himself. Sighing in defeat, he reached for his baton again - with his right hand this time - and extended it to propel himself toward the roofs, ignoring the searing pain brewing in his shoulder.


	34. Chapter 34: Close call

Vaulting across Parisian rooftops with years of practice to rely on was one thing.

Vaulting across Parisian rooftops with years of practice while being madly worried about the woman he loved and unwillingly left to fend for herself against an angry akuma was a very different thing.

And vaulting across rooftops while going mad with concern after abandoning his girlfriend _and_ cradling an injured shoulder was entirely something else, much to Chat Noir's stifling displeasure.

He was frustratingly unfocused, his thoughts completely occupied by the various unpleasant outcomes of his lady fighting on her own. His wild imagination stubbornly refused to stop coming up with more and more dangerous obstacles for her to overcome without her faithful partner, and it drove him crazy. What if she got trapped in that weird substance again? What if she got hurt in the encounter? What if she needed someone to distract the akuma? They were a team, Plagg and Tikki had made that pretty clear: they weren't meant to be separated. Chat Noir could almost hear his kwami sternly scolding him in his mind, reminding him that the current situation was different, that he had been injured throughout the fight, and hadn't left Ladybug alone on purpose. Nonetheless, his movements were sloppy and lacked their usual precision and grace, all thanks to both his rambling brain and the searing pain that kept intensifying in his left shoulder. His frustration made him grip his staff tighter than he needed to, and each landing sent a painful shock up his arm, despite how gentle the hero genuinely intended them to be.

So truly, he shouldn't have been that much surprised when he miserably failed his very last jump, shortly after hearing the third warning beep of his ring, the bounce that should've landed him to safety onto Marinette's balcony if everything had gone according to plan. Instead, his staff slipped upon coming in contact with the concrete, entirely messing up his intended trajectory, and Chat Noir came down inelegantly barreling from the sky, tumbling violently on the sidewalk before crashing through the bakery's front door. He laid there for a split second, sprawled out on the shop's floor, clutching his wounded shoulder with a loud whimper, before Tom and Sabine managed to snap out of their astonishment and spring into action.

Chat Noir's ring beeped loudly for the fourth time as the young man tried to stand back up, unable to put any weight on his left arm which proved to complicate the otherwise rather simple task. Flustered and ashamed for the unwanted disturbance he had brought upon the wonderful parents of his girlfriend, he stammered, still awkwardly trying to get up, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

His apologies were cut short by Tom Dupain's large hands gripping him by the torso, effortlessly helping him to his feet and warily looking him up and down. "You okay there? Are you hurt? That was a rather nasty fall."

The hero nodded briefly, a grimace gracing his lips despite his best intentions. "Probably dislocated my shoulder. I have to hide, though, I don't have much time left before the magic wears off."

"Right," the burly man answered, gesturing for the back door, "go in there. I'll close the door, nobody's going to see you. Don't worry about any camera, we don't have those in here."

The baker had shoved him without ceremony into the back kitchen as he spoke and promptly slammed the door shut behind Paris' hero, putting the wooden panel between them and any unwanted witnesses. Chat Noir sighed with pent-up relief and rested his forehead against the door as his ring began beeping furiously, giving him a final warning.

"Thank you, sir. It really means the world to me."

Before Tom even had a chance to answer, the leather-clad hero was engulfed simultaneously in a familiar blinding green light and a most welcome swarm of pink ladybugs. The pain in his shoulder significantly subdued, leaving only a lingering sore feeling behind as the superhero regained his civilian form. It had been a really close call, a matter of a split second. If Marinette's unhealed injury a few months prior was anything to go by, the young man had been a only a mere second away from dealing with a dislocated shoulder on his own, without the help of his lady's magic to fix him up like it usually did, considering Chat Noir had been hurt by the akuma and not Adrien. He now knew his princess had been unlucky enough to get wounded before transforming back then, therefore annihilating her chances to be cured by the cleansing spell as her civilian self. For once, the black cat's bad luck seemed to be leaving him alone that day, since Ladybug had apparently managed to vanquish the akuma on her own and release her cleansing spell at the last possible second for Chat Noir to be healed before switching forms.

Plagg flew in front of Adrien's green eyes, loudly whining that he was hungry, just as Sabine knocked softly on the kitchen door, her motherly tone quietly inquiring. "Are you alright in there, dear?"

Heart clenched with sheer gratefulness toward them, Adrien leaned his forehead against the panel of the door again. "Y-yes… I'm okay, ma'am, thank you very much."

"Do you need anything? Food, medical care?"

The young man sighed contently as he witnessed yet again where Marinette had gotten her endless kindness from. "My injury seems to have been healed, all thanks to Ladybug. I really have to go back and check on her, though I can't thank you enough for providing me with somewhere safe to detransform. Can I do anything to repay you?"

He heard her chuckle on the other side of the panel, and could very well picture Sabine shaking her head with that unique motherly smile of hers he loved so much. "Nonsense, dear. You have done so much for this city, for us. It was only natural for us to give you a hand in time of need."

"Still, I'm in your debt. Should you ever need our help, don't hesitate to call us."

"We will. There's a door at the back of the room, it leads into a secluded alleyway, you should be able to escape unnoticed. Are you sure you don't need any food? We have plenty, it would be no hassle. We're a bakery after all."

Adrien pondered the question for a second. Sure, it would've been nice for Plagg to recharge, but truth be told, he was getting restless hiding into his girlfriend's parents kitchen instead of being useful. His kwami had a bad habit of taking his sweet time to eat, and the young man was beyond reluctant to waste another precious second. "I'm fine, thanks again."

"No, thank _you_ , Chat Noir. Now go and check on your partner, I feel you're impatient to do so."

Smiling to himself, Adrien wondered briefly what Sabine would've said had she known her daughter's boyfriend was the one hiding in her shop's kitchen, getting antsy to get to her very own daughter. Throat tight with worries for Marinette and thankfulness for her parents, the blond pushed the bakery's back door, bracing himself for Plagg's incoming fury. Sure enough, as soon as they were alone in the alley Sabine had mentioned, the little black deity flew into view. "I haven't had anything to recharge, kiddo, all thanks to you and your impatience. You're going to have to search for her on foot."

Adrien shrugged, opening his overshirt and nodding toward the inner pocket. "Not a problem, Plagg. Rest into my pocket until I find you some cheese, okay? For now, we have to find Mari."

The kwami huffed impatiently but surprisingly zipped into his designated spot nonetheless without arguing further. The fleeting thought that he must be as worried about their girls as he himself was suddenly brushed the young man's mind. After all, Plagg had made it clear on more than one occasion that Tikki and he were two part of a greater whole, just like Ladybug and Chat Noir, like Marinette and Adrien.

Patting softly his pocket, he muttered softly. "Don't worry, Plagg, we're going to find them."

He didn't get an answer, but he honestly wasn't waiting for any from the stubborn kwami. Breaking into a sprint, he ran to where the attack had occurred, careful of taking alleyways and little streets as he knew he'd have a better chance of catching his lady detransforming that way. After akuma attacks, they would both avoid crowded areas to lessen the likelihood of being caught by unaccounted for witnesses. Reaching his destination took longer that way, his eyes desperately glued to the rooftops, but once he finally got there his heart dropped into his chest, for she was nowhere to be seen. The young man stilled for a second, still hidden in the shadows of the surrounding buildings, trying to gather the force to step in the street and try to understand what could possibly have happened to his missing princess.

Before Adrien exited the alleyway, though, a mess of red and black fabric came crashing down on him from above. Ladybug latched herself around him, her lips crashing hard onto his as she pulled him into a bone-crushing and desperate hug. Startled, the blond wrapped his arms around her out of sheer instinct, holding her to him as he answered her kiss. They stayed like that for a full minute or two, Ladybug kissing him urgently, feverishly, before she broke away from him as suddenly as the kiss had been. Burying her face into the crook of his neck, the superheroine dissolved into a mess of violent sobs, shaking uncontrollably into his embrace.

"Hey, calm down, princess. What happened?" Adrien tried to soothe her, to no avail.

It took her several minutes to gather her breath enough to form a coherent sentence. She didn't pull away from him, instead holding him even tighter. "I… I was so worried… I knew you got hurt and when you tried to hide it… I… I thought that…"

Adrien shook his head against hers. "I _told_ you I was okay before leaving, my lady."

"I know," she croaked, "but then I got to the… to the bakery… and you… you weren't _there_. I… had to detransform and… Tikki and I…"

"It's okay, princess, I'm right here."

Her sobs had not subdued the slightest, making understand what she was trying to tell him almost impossible to do. Adrien lifted a hand from her back, gently stroking her cheek to try and calm her down with the loving gesture.

"When… When you weren't… in my room… when I told you… I… I thought… I pictured you… hurt onto some random rooftop… without anyone to help you… and I…"

Words were rushing out of her lips all at once, only cut by her soft whimpers. She pulled back from his chest a little, her left hand cradling his cheek softly as she studied the face she knew almost more than her own. "Are… are you really okay?"

Adrien smiled tenderly at her, rolling his injured shoulder without wincing in pain to prove his point. "I would never dare lie to you about something like that, Bugaboo. It was a really close call, but you released your magic just in the nick of time. I shouldn't have left to come and find you, but I was worried about you. I should have known better and thought that you would rush back to me as soon as you were done with the fight. Can you forgive me you worrying you uselessly?"

Instead of answering with words too weak to convey what she really meant to say, Ladybug simply leaned in, pressing her lips against his yet again, not even bothering to wipe the tears spilling over her mask and still running down her face. This kiss was different from the one she had given him upon barrelling into the alleyway, less desperate, less aggressive. Adrien kissed her back eagerly, whispering sweet nonsense into her ear every time they separated to breathe.

Enthralled in each other's proximity and hopelessly wrapped into the afternoon's rollercoaster of emotions they had both experimented, neither of them heard the telltale sound of the shutter of a camera going off a few times, nor saw the cloaked shadow slipping out of the alleyway.


	35. Chapter 35: Delicate situation

Marinette heartily despised mornings in general. Recently, she had come to hate even more the mornings where she woke up alone. Over the course of the last few weeks, she had really grown accustomed to sleep in Adrien's arms, and whenever they would spend the night apart (which was becoming less and less often, now that she thought of it), she would inevitably wake up in a even more foul mood than usual. The events of the previous day did nothing to alleviate her sorrows, the sheer panic she had felt upon discovering his absence in her room when she had returned from the fight against Chemical still lingering in her heart. It had taken him a long time to calm her down barely enough for her to shed her transformation and walk back to her house. It had taken him even a greater time to soothe her fears enough for her to even consider going to bed. Hopefully, Tom and Sabine had accepted the lie they had crafted on their way back without questioning it, and the official version of the afternoon events was that Marinette was upset over helplessly seeing her boyfriend getting trapped in one of the bubbles the Chemical had been throwing around without having a way of knowing if he was even able to breath in there. Marinette had clung to him until the last second, repeatedly asking him to stay the night.

But Adrien had a photoshoot in the evening, and had stubbornly refused to risk waking her up upon his return. He had reluctantly left her with a promise to text her as soon as he'd get home, and Marinette had finally fell asleep out of sheer exhaustion, curled up on her comforter and hugging her Chat Noir doll tightly to her heart. And now, waking up alone and groggy left a foul taste in her mouth. The young woman dragged her body down her ladder with heavy steps, not even bothering to get dressed before heading to the kitchen. Her mother smiled at her warmly, handing her a mug of hot chocolate. "Morning, sunshine. Are you feeling better?"

She groaned in answer, earning herself a knowing smirk from the older woman.

"Missing your boyfriend already?"

"Was cold without him," answered her daughter truthfully as she took a sip of her beverage. "Missed his warmth."

Softly humming her agreement, Sabine pushed a bowl of fruit oatmeal toward her daughter. "You two do spend a lot of time together as of lately. It's nice to see how well you two get along."

"Hey, mama," asked Marinette while plunging her spoon in her breakfast, "how did you know that papa was the right guy?"

Smiling fondly at the memories, Sabine Cheng carefully eyed the young woman. "I just knew. I felt safe beside him, I felt like I had found my very own place in the universe. And I don't have to ask about it to know that's exactly how you feel about your handsome blond, it's written in bold letters all across your face, honey."

Blushing deeply, Marinette averted her mother's piercing gaze. "Do you think he feels the same way about me?"

"Oh, Marinette. I know he does. It's obvious in the way he looks at you, in the way he takes care of you. Don't ever doubt his love for you, the poor boy wears his heart on his sleeve."

Her foul mood almost gone by then, her mother's words of wisdom effectively warming her heart, Marinette nodded cheerfully and finished her meal eagerly before heading back to her room to get dressed for the day.

Maybe the day wouldn't be so bad, after all.

* * *

When Marinette made it to school that morning, she was practically vibrating with apprehension, eager that she was to go back to normality. The day before had been an intense rollercoaster of emotions for her, and she couldn't wait to see Adrien again, to wrap her arms around him in a tight hug and feel his lips brushing against her skin to greet her, like he had done every single morning ever since they had begun dating. Echoing her train of thoughts, the familiar town car pulled up in front of the school, and the blond exited it without showing any sign of discomfort, effectively comforting her lingering worries about his shoulder injury. Their eyes locked together, and Adrien smiled warmly at her, climbing the stairs toward her without looking away.

When he finally reached her, the young man pulled her into a bone-crushing hug, whispering in her ear, "Morning, my love. Did you sleep well?"

Before she could even answer, though, Alya's roaring voice pierced the quietness of the schoolyard, "HANDS OFF, AGRESTE!"

Startled, Marinette and Adrien jumped apart and they both stared in disbelief as the brunette barrelled through the courtyard, stomping her feet angrily and pointing an accusatory finger at the model. Taken aback by the uncalled for display of violence, the young man stuttered, "W-W-What?"

Positively seething, Alya unceremoniously yanked her best friend away from the young man, hissing through clenched teeth, "How DARE you even breathe the same air as her? You undeserving, lying, cheating bastard!"

Marinette tried to break free from the reporter's firm grip on her arm, to no avail. "Alya, what the hell are you talking about?"

Her friend sharply shoved her phone under her nose, still glaring menacingly at Adrien over her glasses.

And Marinette painfully gulped.

For, displayed in all its glory on the small digital screen, was a stunningly clear picture of Adrien and her tightly embracing each other in an alley. They were unmistakably kissing rather passionately, Adrien's arms holding her to his chest while her hands were balling up his overshirt as she tugged on it to bring him even closer to her. The picture was beautiful, their love for each other obvious in the way they were desperately clinging to each other as their lips were locked together.

The only problem was that the picture was of Adrien kissing Ladybug, and not Marinette.

It had obviously been taken the day before when Ladybug had crashed on Adrien from above in the aftermaths of the fight against Chemical. If she looked closely enough, Marinette could even see the streaks the tears had left on her cheeks.

Sadly missing a lot of information to correctly assess the delicate situation, Alya misread her stunned silence, and obviously thought that her best friend's heart had just been unfairly broken. Finally managing to get a glimpse of the brunette's screen, Adrien face instantly drained of its color. "Where… Where did you get that photo?"

Standing between him and Marinette, effectively turning herself into a physical barrier, Alya snarled, "It's all over the news, Agreste. Some paparazzi snapped a pic of your cheating ass."

"Alya!"

The reporter tugged on Marinette's sleeve, trying to put further distance between the pair. "Don't you dare to take his defense, Marinette. Ladybug or not, that jerk shamelessly cheated on you."

"But-"

"Mari, let me-"

Casting a menacing glare toward Adrien, the brunette said flatly, her tone icy beyond reason, "What's the matter, jerk? You're upset that your dirty little affair has been outed?"

Without waiting for an answer, Alya pulled Marinette inside the school, leaving the blond stunned on the stairs, with their classmates staring at him without bothering to try to be subtle about it. The whole encounter had left Adrien with a foul taste in his mouth. He knew he had done nothing wrong, and he knew that Marinette was well aware of that too. But they couldn't ignore the blatant proof that had been leaked to the media. All of their classmates thought (understandably) that he had cheated on his lovely girlfriend, and for all he knew, all of Paris was under the impression that Ladybug was two-timing Chat Noir, mere weeks after declaring her undying love for him after the fight against Dreamweaver. And if her parents had seen the news, they would undoubtedly revoke their open invitation in their home, which would break his heart.

His heart painfully pounding in his chest, he climbed the stairs with heavy steps, carefully avoiding the judgmental glares of their classmates. How in the world were they going to get out of that sticky situation?

* * *

Back in the classroom, Marinette's mind was desperately reeling. There was no way she could lie her way out of this delicate situation, Alya was far too perceptive and pissed at Adrien for her to listen to any explanation they might be able to come up with. She was choking on her guilt, her poor boyfriend's reputation having been shattered by her own recklessness. Had she dropped her transformation before hurling herself in his arms, the situation would have been entirely different. Had she restrained herself instead of crashing her lips onto his, the intruding paparazzi would only have stumbled upon a seemingly normal rescue. Nothing out of the ordinary.

A string of improbable lies came to her stressed out mind as Marinette carefully avoided her best friend's piercing gaze. Adrien entered the classroom at that moment, his head bowed down and his shoulders slumped, obviously hurt and ashamed by the whole ordeal. The young woman's heart painfully clenched in her chest, and she wanted nothing more than to reach for him, to comfort him. Alya's menacing glare deadly set on the blond dissuaded her from so much as looking at him, and she instead absorbed herself in the contemplation of her joined hands resting in her lap.

Would Alya possibly believe that a side effect of the akuma had made them both temporarily lose their minds? Maybe they could get away with claiming Adrien had been abducted by aliens and brainwashed, therefore prompting him to mistake Ladybug with his very own girlfriend? They could always make up an evil doppelganger set up on destroying Adrien's life, that would be a believable cover up story, right? Her first reflex upon seeing the offending picture had been to blame the lighting, but even she could admit it was too far fetched. A trick of the light would never explain the intimate way Adrien's arms were laced around her waist, nor the way she was obviously clinging to his jacket like her very life depended on it.

She had nothing. No plausible explanation to alleviate the unfair accusations from Adrien's innocent shoulders. No lie that could justify the pair remaining together in the eyes of their classmates.

Repressing a grunt, Marinette let her head fall on her desk, prompting her best friend to misinterpret the desperate gesture and gently draw reassuring circles on her back, trying her best to comfort a nonexistent heartbreak.

She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, and for a second was grateful that she had yet to change Adrien's contact info:

[8:16] CN ='.'=: What do we do now?

Glancing briefly to her bespectacled friend, Marinette was relieved to see she was too busy sulking to mind her SMS conversation.

[8:17] Mari 3: I don't know kitty. I'm really sorry, this is all my fault. I should have known better than to let emotions cloud my judgment.

[8:20] CN ='.'=: We already went over that, princess.

[8:21] CN ='.'=: Maybe we could go for a run tonight, as CN and LB? If people see us together as our other selves, maybe they'll stop glaring at me?

The young woman felt the guilt crippling under her skin once again. It was her mistake, and yet Adrien was the one to pay the hefty price of having his carefully polished reputation tarnished.

[8:23] Mari 3: It's worth a try. What did Nino say?

[8:24] CN ='.'=: Not much. I think he's kinda mad to be honest.

[8:25] CN ='.'=: I can see you typing, and don't you dare apologize again.

[8:26] Mari 3: … ok

[8:27] CN ='.'=: We'll go through this together. We can overcome anything if we work as a team, and this is no different.

Marinette suppressed a wistful sigh, and quickly typed before tucking her phone away:

[8:28] Mari 3: I love you.

She didn't need to pull out her phone when it vibrated again a few seconds later to know what would be displayed on the small screen:

[8:29] CN ='.'=: I love you too princess


	36. Chapter 36: Childhood friend

**_LADYNOIR: IS THE HONEYMOON ALREADY OVER?_**  
 ** _posted on the Ladyblog by Alya Césaire_**

 _Ever since Ladybug and Chat Noir came along a little more than four years ago, a lot of fans have been waiting more or less patiently for their one-true-pairing to be canon at last. A few weeks ago, in the midst of their heart-wrenching fight against DreamWeaver, Ladybug finally confirmed the news we were all waiting for: Chat Noir and she were assuredly an item!_

 _However, considering recent developments, it seems the honeymoon between the superheroic pair is already over since trouble is reportedly brewing up in paradise._

 _Our local heroine has been spotted in a secluded alley earlier this week, getting all touchy-feely with our resident most coveted_ heir _, none other that Adrien Agreste himself._

 _Vincent Aza, Paris' Closer photograph, managed to snap a rather incriminating picture of the cheating pair, wrapped in a tight embrace that left nothing to the imagination._

 _All of Paris is now left to wonder how well Chat Noir is taking the news that the lady he has devoted his whole heart to has set her sights on another blond than him. And how Adrien Agreste will explain his inexcusable behavior to his amazing girlfriend, whose forgiveness he definitely doesn't deserve._

* * *

 ** _SPOTTED IN PARIS: ADRIEN AGRESTE AND LADYBUG GETTING FRIENDLY WITH EACH OTHER'S TONSILS_**  
 ** _by Closer's reporter, Vincent Aza_**

 _They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Paris' beloved heroine Ladybug was caught in a heated lip lock with a mystery man - who's definitely not her partner._

 _The spotted heroine was seen kissing what turned out to be none other than Agreste Designs' sole and only heir, Adrien Agreste, in broad daylight in a random Parisian alley. According to celebrity gossip website TMZ, the duo is rumored to be dating, despite the fact that they're both supposed to be involved with someone else._

 _Agreste, 18, has been reported to be dating Marinette Dupain-Cheng, a baker's daughter and longtime friend of his, for about two months already, while our resident superheroine was up until now considered to be in an exclusive relationship with her famous leather-clad partner, Chat Noir._

 _However, a single picture snapped by yours truly was enough to destroy that perfect but obviously forged perfect image of both Agreste and Ladybug, who shocked their fans by cheating on their sizzling significant others…_

* * *

 ** _CHAT NOIR: A KITTY WITHOUT A SPINE?_**  
 ** _posted on the Ladyblog by Alya Césaire_**

 _It would seem Paris' most famous kitty desperately lacks any basic sense of pride._

 _In the midst of the recent Ladybug cheating scandal, all Parisians were waiting on some nasty break up, or at least, an understandable frosty period between the superheroic pair._

 _However, it would seem that Chat Noir can't stand up for himself before his partner, even when his lady has provenly cheated on him. The couple had been repeatedly spotted over the course of the last week, kissing on random rooftops and cuddling openly near the Eiffel Tower._

 _Sadly for Adrien Agreste, his former girlfriend actually can stand up for herself, and won't forgive him as easily as our stupid leather clad hero forgot Ladybug's disgusting treachery._

* * *

Adrien dropped himself on the white comforter, groaning helplessly as he tossed Chloe's ladybug pillow aside. The past week had truly been awful to him, as well as tiresome beyond reason. Every single night without fail, Ladybug and Chat Noir had gone out and had put on a show of being overly affectionate toward each other, deliberately staying in plain sight for the whole duration of their patrols that stretched way later than usual, all in hopes of stifling the stupid scandal before it spread too much. If the latest post on the Ladyblog was anything to go by, they had failed miserably at avoiding any lasting damage and they had only managed in the meantime to strip Chat Noir of whatever self-respect he had left according to the citizens they strived to protect.

Things at school were far from being better. The few students that weren't glaring judgmentally at him all day long were shamelessly hitting on him, hinting not so subtly that they were more than eager to fill the spot left vacant by Marinette's unwilling absence. A girl bolder than the others even had the nerve to suggest a threesome with Ladybug and had only backed out when Chloe had stepped in and threatened her with a lawsuit on sexual harassment grounds. Adrien couldn't be grateful enough for his childhood friend's unwavering support over the past few days. Despite the fact that her brat tendencies had somewhat drifted them apart in the last years, the mayor's daughter new friendly attitude, as well as Adrien's newfound loneliness, had turned the tables around, and both blonds were spotted together more often than not, an artistic redhead often joining them. On her part, Alya was dutifully keeping Marinette as far as physically possible from her alleged former boyfriend, going as far as switching places with Rose and Juleka in class. If their teachers found the new seating arrangement odd, neither of them commented on the matter. Then again, Adrien figured they must surely have seen the cringe-worthy news plastered all over the Parisian media.

At first, the young man had truly thought that things weren't really as bad as they seemed. After all, time was sure to ease Alya's misplaced anger and give him a chance to redeem himself in his lover's best friend's eyes. In the meantime, he still had the evenings to spend with his significant other. Turned out that was without taking into account the aspirant reporter's wholehearted and almost alarming level of devotion toward Marinette's wellbeing. As soon as Ladybug and Adrien's affair had been rendered public, the brunette had basically taken residence in Marinette's bedroom for the better part of the week on the pretense of helping her bestie get over her disgusting cheating boyfriend, effectively annihilating any plans Adrien previously had to visit his girlfriend once school was finally over and forcing the young lady to sneak out way later than usual for their joint patrols. Alya's constant presence in Marinette's bedroom was effectively cutting their time together even further, not that the brunette would even be aware of that. Regardless, their forced separation was beginning to take its toll on Marinette too, Adrien could easily tell by the way Ladybug was getting more and more reckless as the days stretched by. She was beginning to sneak out without waiting for Alya to start snoring, forgetting to latch the skylight behind her as she left, dropping her yo-yo on otherwise basic throws she had mastered years before.

Truth be told, Adrien wasn't faring much better than she did on his own. Nino had reluctantly deserted him, wisely deciding against upsetting his own girlfriend further by remaining by the alleged traitor's side. As a result, the blond was missing his best friend dearly, their friendship having been a constant highlight in his days. He missed their playful banter, Nino's endless rants about the latest big number in underground music, his rational yet compassionate mind that never hesitated to call him out on his shit. Spending his days with Chloe and Nathanael was interesting and definitely helped him avoid the bite of loneliness, but Adrien was growing tired of third-wheeling the not-dating-yet pair and he was deeply wishing for things to return to their normal state as soon as possible.

That landed him there, on a Saturday morning, lying on the mayor's daughter's bed and staring at her bedroom's ceiling. "I really am living a nightmare, Chloe."

Not even bothering to tear her gaze away from her dresser, the young woman merely hummed in agreement. The blond model sighed and fixed his gaze back on the ceiling, joining his hands on his stomach.

"I'm serious, Chlo. I'm currently dying here."

This time, the blonde straightened up, raising a suspicious eyebrow at her childhood friend. "Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you are."

Not bothering to look at her, Adrien covered his face with his hands, groaning loudly. "It's been a week, Chlo, a whole fucking week! Alya won't even let me come close to her, let alone speak to her. How in the world am I supposed to explain what really happened to Mari if I have to go through her guard dog of best friend first?"

Turning her back to him, Chloe absorbed herself once again into furrowing in her dresser. "You know, for a kid who literally grew in front of the cameras, you're handling all of this mess pretty badly."

Now effectively pissed off at her, Adrien raised himself on his elbows, glaring at his childhood friend. "Pardon me?"

Shrugging, Chloe pulled out a pretty satin dress from the closet and placed it in front of her, carefully examining her reflection in the mirror. "What do you think about this one, dork-head ? Too revealing?"

Grunting loudly, the model sat up straight, clutching the ladybug pillow in his lap. "Too yellow. You should wear something else for a change. Got anything blue? And what do you mean, I'm handling this badly? I haven't even had a chance to say anything to her!"

"That's exactly my point. You know better than anyone else that avoiding or hiding the truth only makes their imaginations run wild."

Adrien's mind started spinning. Of course, he knew that Chloe was technically right, but it didn't make thing easier. The media were having a blast with the scandal, and the stubborn silence from all concerned parties was only exacerbating the rumors wildly running around. "But nobody will believe the truth, Chlo. I'm already guilty as charged where they're concerned."

The young woman huffed and hung back the dress she had been looking at. With a kind look on her features, she came to sit beside Adrien, grabbing her old teddy bear in the process. "I really believe you when you say that you haven't cheated on your girlfriend, Adrikins, but you have to at least give them something. Otherwise, this shitty situation will continue to snowball out of control, and you can kiss your sweet Marinette goodbye for good."

A long whine escaped Adrien's throat, making his friend chuckled under her breath. Nudging him playfully, Chloe added with a mischievous glance, "Might I remind you that your lack of girlfriend effortlessly prompted your dad to wonder if you were gay?"

An impish glare suddenly shot across Adrien's eyes, and he lunged forward, his fingers reaching for Chloe's specific ticklish spots he had come to know very well over the years. The girl shied away from his touch, giggling uncontrollably. "Ahahahahahah! S-s-s-stop tickling me, or a special s-s-someone will receive t-t-the picture of a sixteen-years-old Adrien A-A-Agreste - stop that! - sleeping with his binkie!"

The young man gasped theatrically, pulling back from the blonde heiress with his hands held up in surrender. "YOU put that BINKIE in MY mouth that night!"

With a toothy grin, Chloe took a second to compose herself before answering smugly, "Yeah, but Marinette doesn't know that now, does she?"

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Try me, dork-head."

Adrien smiled and tore his body from the bed, burying himself in the blonde's dresser and pulling out victoriously some powder blue silk blouse. "How about this one? It'll bring out your eyes nicely. Pair it with some jeans, or even better, a black pair of leggings. When did you start caring so much about what you wear, though?"

Chloe shot up from the bed, ripping the blouse from her childhood friend and stammering, "Yeah, that's great, you're right as always, I'll wear that. And there's no reason at all, I'm just meeting with… a friend, yeah, a friend, I'm meeting with… Sabrina, yeah, at the Louvre for a new exposition she had been dying to see."

Mindlessly going through his friend's stuff, Adrien mused out loud, "I thought Sabrina and you weren't speaking anymore? Hey, what's that?"

As he pulled a brand new sketchpad, a really good quality one with a thick leather bound cover and heavy paper pages, Adrien smirked knowingly. "Did you began to draw or something?"

"It's Nate's birthday gift, leave that alone!"

The blond's smile stretched even further. "Oooooooooh, so it's Nate now, is it? Making progress with the redhead, Mlle Bourgeois?"

"Would you look at the time, gosh it's getting really late, the Gorilla must be getting antsy waiting for you downstairs! Bye now!" Chloe answered hastily as she pushed him through her bedroom door, impervious to his laughter.

As Adrien went down the corridor, he stumbled across a rather well dressed up Nathanael. Smirking, the blond waved at him warmly. "Hey, Sabrina, I hope you have a great time with the new expo at the Louvre!"

Bemused, the redhead pursued his way to Chloe's bedroom, and wondered out loud in lieu of greetings when the blonde opened her door, "Hey Chlo, I think Adrien lost his mind, he just called me Sabrina out there."

Groaning loudly, Chloe burrowed her face in her hands. "Oh God! I'm gonna kill him!"


	37. Chapter 37: Acting skills

The next morning found Adrien staring absentmindedly through the dining room window, toying with the food on his plate as he was raking his mind yet again about a way to bring his girlfriend back to his side. A crumpled magazine opened a to specific page startled him out of his morning grim thoughts as it was slammed on the table right next to his barely even touched breakfast.

"Care to explain this, son?"

Sure enough, displayed in bright colors on the glossy paper was the picture that had started his nightmare. Gulping painfully, the blond averted his gaze from his father's glare, "Oh! This really is an interesting concept for the next season's line, father. Amazing what they can do with a computer these days."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, the older Agreste sighed. "Don't try to play dumb with me, Adrien. Please tell me that this photography is the result of the twisted mind of some lowlife paparazzi."

"Why would I ever cheat on Marinette," Adrien snapped, painfully conscious that he was avoiding the question. "And in the middle of the street, no less. I'm not that stupid."

"Then, Adrien, did I pay for all those image managing classes for nothing?"

"I…"

His curiosity satiated, Gabriel latched his hands together in his back, and ended the encounter on a cool note. "Whatever happened, fix it immediately."

Without another word, his father left the room, leaving a stunned Adrien in his trail. Worried about his charge, Plagg flew into view as soon as the doors closed behind the designer. "Hey, are you alright, kid?"

Unexpectedly, a pleased smile stretched the blond's lips as he looked at his kwami with hopeful eyes. "I think we'll be okay now, Plagg."

"You," answered the deity while grinning mischievously from ear to ear, "came up with a plan, don't you?"

Adrien smirked at his kwami. "Maybe. It's… I'm not sure it'll work, but that's all we have left by that point."

"What is it then?"

"We just have to hope Chat Noir's acting skills can rival Adrien's modeling ones."

* * *

Their next akuma fight happened in the late afternoon that day. He had been unable to talk to Marinette at all that day, Alya still guarding her away from him dutifully to his utter dismay. The telltale screams brought by an akuma attack had come as an immense relief to both of them, though neither of them would ever dare to acknowledge that shameful fact out loud. Alya had been quick to remove herself from her best friend's room, still eager somehow to record the whole thing. Surprisingly enough, her passion for her blog had not passed away along with her admiration for Paris' resident superheroine. Marinette wouldn't complain, though, as it left her free range to transform without any trouble and join the man she missed so much it ached. The fight itself was rather quickly handled. As it quickly turned out, some university student had unfortunately misclicked, erasing his entire doctorate thesis instead of submitting it to his mentor and hadn't been dealing very well with the unappealing prospect of having to start all over again months of unpaid work and researching.

Calling himself Blankspace, he had roamed Paris' streets for a few minutes, erasing the color in random things until Chat Noir dropped in front of him and effectively blocked his progression with his staff. His partner had joined the encounter shortly after, and all too soon, Ladybug had been brushed by one of Blankspace's color-ridding attacks. The unfortunate hit had prompted her goofy lover to go on an endless string of puns about colors, making her groan out of annoyance once or twice, a playful grin spread on her face nonetheless. Then again, she figured it must have been quite unsettling for the poor kitty to fight alongside a black and white Ladybug, and she knew perfectly well that he, too, was somewhat disappointed that yet again they hadn't found the uncured akuma. Once the akumatized offending computer mouse formerly safely tucked inside the messenger bag of the villain of the day had successfully been retrieved by the heroic pair and its butterfly released and cured, once the useless lucky charm had been tossed in the air to restore Paris to its previous glorious state, both heroes did their signature fist bump while openly grinning at each other, and they readied themselves to take their leave.

Alya's voice stopped them dead in their tracks, though, making Ladybug's yo-yo fall loosely on the concrete as Chat Noir stumbled over his baton with a questioning look. "Hey, Ladyfickle, would you care to answer some questions for the Ladyblog, or are you in a hurry to get to your other lover?"

Had he not noticed the way his spotted partner unmistakably stiffened beside him and the flash of hurt crossing her by then really familiar features, Chat Noir might have reacted differently. Had he not been already stressed out by a whole week of undeserved separation from his dear girlfriend and unwarranted scandal about his personal life, the black-clad hero might have listened to his lady's previously stated crystal clear wishes on the matter. But as things currently were, something within the young man snapped badly hearing those accusations. Figuring now was as good a time as any to put his plan into motion, he switched direction mid-leap and headed toward Alya, his lips stretched into a determined line. "Oh hell no. This has gone way too far."

Ladybug, completely unaware of her partner's intentions, stumbled for a second and reached for him as they landed back, putting her hand on his arm in a vain attempt to calm him down. "Forget it, Chat. It's not worth it."

Marching toward the brunette reporter, the leather-clad hero stood straight, eying his lover without any trace of hesitation. "Nope, my lady. We already tried your method, and it has done nothing but hurting you. Don't think I haven't noticed how you wince every time someone calls you out on your so-called unfaithfulness toward me."

Crossing his arms in front of him, Chat Noir cocked his hip sideways and openly glared at Alya. "We're stopping that sick little game of yours right here and now. Whatever bone you have to pick with my lady, we solve that right this second. I won't let you hurt her further as long as I'm breathing."

The brunette had the grace to look dumbfounded. "W-What are you talking about?"

Recalling Chloe's sound advice from the day prior, Chat Noir straightened himself and glared at Alya as severely as he could. "I respected Ladybug's wish to not intervene and let things cool off on their own all week, but I'm sick and tired of this bullshit. She doesn't deserve to be called a cheater, and my spine is right where it's supposed to be, thank you very much."

The spotted heroine took a step forward, placing her hand on her partner's shoulder to get his attention. "Chat, let it go. Please."

He shook his head, his green eyes never leaving their friend. Raising an accusatory finger in the air, he punctuated his next statement. "You have the nerve to call yourself a professional reporter, and yet you didn't bother to check your information before writing a bunch of crap about us. What kind of journalist does that make you?"

"Chat, that's enough," placated Ladybug, to no avail.

Somehow, the bespectacled girl managed to keep filming the encounter as she stuttered painfully, confusion clearly written all over her face, "B-b-but, t-t-the picture-"

"We're living in the 21st century, for God's sake. Has it even occurred to you that the goddamn picture could have been tampered with? Ever heard of Photoshop? I got hurt that day fighting the akuma, fuck! How on Earth would it makes sense for Ladybug to hide in some alley to kiss another man, bawling her eyes out, literally minutes after sending me to safety after I took yet another hit to protect her? She had no reason to be crying in Adrien Agreste's arms and a million reasons to be kissing me out of relief."

Recalling the classes supposed to teach him how to flawlessly deal with media and avoid scandals his father had mentioned earlier, Chat Noir focused on his task. He only had to stir doubts about the information that had been revealed without his consent, yet tell enough of truth to keep the story believable. Stressing the fact that he had kissed Ladybug that day (which was obviously true) would hopefully be enough to achieve such a feat. Convincing Alya would mean convincing all of her followers. And that was a lot of people.

"My lady's lips have never touched another man than me," he insisted. "Should you have checked your sources before going all berserk on us, either of us would have been more than happy to set the record straight. I think even the Agreste kid, who is one of your friends I believe, would've explained to you what really happened that day."

Alya's eyes began to fill with unshed tears, but Chat Noir wasn't done with his rant. He was dead set on his goal, and he couldn't afford to let himself be driven by guilt. Not yet. Not before she believed him. "You obviously let your emotions cloud your judgment and alter your work because you were personally involved with that boy and his girlfriend. You won't survive in the media world if you keep jumping to conclusions like that. You'll have a painfully short career filled with libel lawsuits and before you know it you'll be stuck writing the gossip pages for the local newspaper. Because that's the only place where they actually encourage writing lies."

Alya stopped the recording then, mostly because she didn't want her followers to hear her sniffle so close to the microphone of her phone. Eying the leather clad hero warily, she gulped painfully, and whispered so softly Chat Noir wouldn't have been able to catch it without his magically enhanced hearing, "I'm sorry…"

Ladybug stepped forward again, tugging on her partner's arm more forcibly, her voice firm as she said again, "Chat, enough."

To their surprise, though, Alya shook her head dejectedly. "No, he's right. Checking the information is the basics in this line of work and I… I failed that because I wanted to protect my friend."

The superhero's features considerably softened upon hearing those words, and he stepped forward, pulling the dumbfounded reporter into a tight hug.

"It's okay. I know you didn't mean any harm, and that Dupain-Cheng girl is lucky to have you to watch her back."

Hesitantly returning the hug, Alya whispered softly, "You… You're not angry with me?"

"Nope," answered Chat with his signature grin as he pulled away from the embrace, ruffling the brunette's hair before stepping back and grabbing his lady's hand, ignoring the insistent beeping coming from her earrings. "You're our favorite reporter of all time, and I'm actually glad you made this unfortunate mistake with us, and not with someone who will actually sue you."

The fourth beep on Ladybug's earrings suddenly pierced the early evening, and Chat Noir bowed before Alya. "Sorry, but this is our cue to take our leave. See you next fight, Ladyblogger?"

"Don't worry, I'll be there," she said, and smiled shyly. "As always."

"Well then, we'll go now, we're about to turn into pumpkins. Have a lovely evening."

Scooping his partner into his arms, the cat boy extended his staff, and with a last reassuring wave to their bemused friend, he vaulted both of them onto a nearby rooftop just as the last beep rang furiously, giving them a last warning. A flash of pink engulfed his now very pissed off girlfriend, who punched him lightly in the chest while he ran across Paris' rooftops, carefully remaining out of sight of bystanders, clutching her precious lithe body to him.

"Chat, what was that? Do you really want her to get akumatized again?"

"She believed me, Mari! We did it!"

The sound of the wind rushing past their running figure must have altered Marinette's hearing because the answer the sly feline offered her inquiry didn't even make sense. She stiffened in his arms as the bakery came into view. "What are you talking about, silly cat?"

Openly grinning, he planted a kiss on her forehead as he leaped on her balcony, twirling around with her still held tight to his chest, laughing and giggling in victory. "She believed me! She believed me!"

Straightening her up, he placed a quick peck on her lips and jumped on the railing, his obvious joy contagious.

"You're proud of yourself, aren't you? You were incredibly harsh on her, and I swear to God if we had to face Lady Wifi again because your recklessness I'd-"

"Mari? Are you up there?" Alya's voice coming from the skylight interrupted her rant, and Chat Noir smiled smugly at her, kissing her hand with his everlasting grin plastered on his face.

"See you really soon, princess."

Just as the skylight trap opened, the leather clad boy jumped over the railing, disappearing in the street below. Sighing through her amusement, Marinette turned around, readying herself to face her most certainly upset best friend.


	38. Chapter 38: Pressing matters

The skylight suddenly swung open, revealing a disheveled Alya, clutching her phone to her chest for dear life. Panting and breathless, the brunette smiled broadly, surprising her best friend. Given what just had happened between her best friend and her leather-clad partner, shouldn't the former be upset over the latter's rather harsh scolding?

Voice dripping with excitement, Alya pulled herself on the balcony, closing the distance between them. "What are you doing out there? You missed on all the action!"

Marinette smiled back weakly, still unsure about how to react to her obvious excitement. "I was waiting for you to come back while doing a little stargazing. Always does wonders to soothe me when I'm worried about a certain reporter that keeps running toward danger. However, did you get any good footage? You seem to be pretty excited about it."

At this, her best friend purposely ignored the light reprimand about her dangerous habits and beamed, bouncing back and forth with pent up energy. "You just won't believe what happened just now! Chat Noir hugged me! Me! Out of all… oh. Wait a second. Adrien needs to be here for this."

"He does?" wondered Marinette. Had her beloved kitty's insane and thoughtless plan really succeeded that well?

Ignoring her raven-haired friend once again, Alya unlocked her phone and quickly dialed some number, putting the small device on speaker mode. It rang about twice before going through, a visibly (and understandably) wary Adrien answering. "What do you want, Alya? Getting tired of keeping Mari all to yourself? Can I finally talk to my girlfriend myself?"

If she hadn't known better, Marinette might have felt bad for her blond boyfriend. As things were currently unfolding, she had to fight the traitorously knowing smile creeping up on her lips. Thankfully for them, Alya was entirely focused on her own scoop, therefore being completely oblivious to her best friend's less than believable schooled expression as it currently was. Sighing impatiently, the reporter tapped her foot and shook her head. "Actually yes, Agreste. Get your sorry ass at the bakery A.S.A.P. I know some blue-eyed girl who's getting antsy to get her hands all over you."

As Marinette cringed at her friend's poor choice of words, she heard her boyfriend's breath hitch on the other side of the line. "Ugh. Why does it come across as a threat coming from you?"

Alya grunted, pinching the bridge of her nose. Marinette smirked, knowing perfectly well that Adrien was toying with the edges of her patience. "Just get here, Agreste. We have some pressing matters to talk about."

"Alright then, I was at the park anyway, I won't be long." He sighed a little louder than necessary.

Just as her best friend hung up the phone, Marinette crossed her arms in front of herself. "Care to explain to me what this is about? Why am I suddenly allowed to talk to Adrien, let alone see him? Isn't he a menace to my heart and my happiness anymore?"

In her defense, Alya had the grace to look sheepish, as her hazel eyes suddenly found growing interest in the tip of her shoes. "I may have gotten admonished pretty badly by Chat Noir a few minutes ago."

Marinette raised a suspicious eyebrow at that, reminding herself that she wasn't supposed to know what in the world her friend was talking about, leaning against the railing of the balcony. "That's why you're so pumped up? Chat Noir scolded you? About what?"

"Well, you see, I might have made an itsy-bitsy-tiny mistake. As it appears, Adrien didn't cheat on you after all."

"What?" exclaimed Marinette louder than she intended to, too eager to get her point across. She had never been great at acting, and truth be told, she was beginning to find the whole ordeal hilarious. She had been afraid that Chat Noir's rather aggressive scolding would hurt her friend rather badly, not willing in the slightest to fight Lady Wifi once again. As it would seem, though, Alya was apparently safe apart from a slightly harsh but much needed reality check and a really bad case of being star struck.

Right on cue, her boyfriend's blond mop of hair appeared through the still open skylight, and he smiled shyly. "Evening, ladies. You wanted to see me?"

Marinette turned around to face him, her inner Ladybug showing a little as she crossed her arms in front of her. "Apparently, Alya has some apologies to make if I correctly understood the bomb she just dropped on me."

Pulling himself up on the balcony, Adrien reluctantly had to remind himself to keep a safe distance between himself and his girlfriend. As far as the brunette knew, they were still fighting. So he remained by the opening, his hands resting on his hips as he eyed the brunette warily. "Well, what is this about?"

Alya gulped painfully and shamefully averted her eyes from him as she reluctantly answered "I might have made a little - OUCH!" Her hand flew to cover the spot on her arm that Marinette had just punched, and she eyed her best friend warily. "Okay, FINE. I have messed up BIG time, and I'm really sorry. To you both. Gosh girl, you're really stronger than you seem."

The young man had to repress the knowing smile threatening to spread on his lips, instead settling on squinting his eyes, giving the impression that he was searching for lies. "Care to explain this sudden change of heart? This morning you wouldn't even listen to my side of the story, and now you believe it? Without even hearing it? I'm a bit lost here."

Alya sighed dejectedly. "After the akuma attack, earlier, I… I said something really mean to Ladybug. I shouldn't have, it was uncalled for and petty on my part, but I'm kinda glad I did it anyway, because Chat Noir snapped. He stepped in and called me out on my shit without sugar-coating it. He told me about how irresponsible I had been for posting those articles on the Ladyblog without checking my sources first. He also told me that I'm their favorite reporter and that they don't want me getting sued over lies, and then he hugged me! Can you imagine that?"

"What does that have to do with me at all?" asked Adrien, still fighting a stubborn smile. The reporter was rambling, and if he hadn't know what had actually happened beforehand, he wouldn't have understood a single word of what she had just said.

"Ah, you see," stuttered the poor Alya, still uneasy over the mess she had created "Chat Noir made it quite clear that the picture that have been leaked to the media was a fake. Apparently, Ladybug and him were waiting for the hype to die on its own, but he got tired of the negative press about his lady. So if Ladybug hasn't cheated on Chat Noir, it means that-"

"That I haven't cheated on Mari either. Which I would've explained a week ago if you had let me talk to her at all."

Alya shifted uncomfortably, then seemed to make up her mind, giving a slight push to her best friend. "What are you waiting for, Mari? I know for a fact that you missed him like crazy, go for it!"

Marinette shook her head, a shy smile dancing on her lips. "Not with you watching our every move, Alya. Not gonna happen."

"Alright then, I'll give you lovebirds some privacy. I'm sorry again, Adrien. Still friends?" Alya smiled, for the first time that night meeting her friends' gazes.

Finally letting the smile he had been suppressing for too long already creeping up on his face, the blond stepped forward and held his pinky finger up, which Alya gladly locked hers with. "Of course we're still friends. You were only trying to protect Marinette, I can't get mad about that. But next time we have a fight, and let's face it, there will be a next time, can you please let us sort it out on our own?"

The bespectacled girl nodded sheepishly. "Of course, Adrien, you're right. I should've known better than to meddle in your relationship. Next time I'll stay in the bleachers and help you guys pick up the pieces after the fight. The worst part is that I know perfectly well that you could never hurt anybody on purpose, and yet I assumed the very worst of you. I really am sorry."

As the three of them made their way down the skylight, Marinette sighed. "I think I have apologies to make, too. I should've given you a chance to speak for yourself, Adrien, even if Alya disagreed. At least listen to your side of the story. It would've spared us all a lot of pain this week."

"It's okay, Mari, you were upset and-"

"I wouldn't have gotten a hug from Chat Noir and all the footage I got tonight!" Alya chimed in, holding her phone up as she gathered her things and put them back in her bag. Adrien seemingly deemed their separation, as fake as it had been, to have lasted long enough already as he stepped forward and laced an arm around Marinette's waist. His initiative was met with a bright smile from their friend when she looked up again. Securing her bag on her shoulder, Alya tucked her phone back into her pocket.

"I'll see myself out, you two work on returning to the sickeningly cute couple you were before this mess, alright?"

"Is that a command, General Alya?" huffed Marinette, her fingers brushing tenderly Adrien's on her hip.

"You bet it is. See you two tomorrow and you better be all lovey-dovey over each other, alright? I'm going to edit and post Chat Noir's declaration. Hopefully it'll be enough to get everyone off your case and rehabilitate Ladybug's reputation."

With a final wave and a playful wink to Marinette, she was gone. Which left a grinning Adrien turning to face his girlfriend, pulling her close to him. "This mess is finally over, Mari. Can I sleep over tonight? I missed you so much, I thought I was going crazy."

"Of course, Minou."

The witty reply he had been thinking about was muffled by the impatient kiss she planted on his lips.

* * *

They both slept better that night than either of them had over the course of the past week. Despite her best intentions, Alya was nowhere near as comfortable as Adrien was, and the brunette was definitely a fidgety sleeper, which made it hard for the poor girl to sleep soundly all week long with her best friend jerking all around in her bed. On top of that, Marinette had been painfully self-conscious about her sleeping habits, trying her best to avoid any inappropriate cuddling with her best friend, which proved to be rather difficult seeing how often she had slept in Adrien's arms over the past months. The familiar warmth of her boyfriend pressed against her longing body definitely helped Marinette's dreamless slumber.

They woke up well-rested, happy and hopeful about the day they were about to face. They still had a long way to go, but they would go through it together. And that certainty was comforting in a way they couldn't have imagined before.

The first surprise of the morning was how pleasant Marinette's parents were toward their (hopefully) future son-in-law and overall welcoming and accepting of Adrien. Marinette and Adrien both had expected her parents to be understandably wary of him, maybe even a little hostile considering the circumstances. But they weren't even close to that. Tom and Sabine were their usual sweet and kind selves, grinning and insisting that the boy eat his fair share of calories before going to school. The infidelity rumors weren't even mentioned in any way, Marinette's dad kept joking like he hadn't a care in the world while her mom kept that loving smile plastered on her face. It was just like nothing had happened at all, which the pair found odd, but were grateful for.

The young couple walked to school once again, Marinette's hand tightly secured into her boyfriend's as they chatted quietly and laughed together. They were unmistakably walking as close to each other as humanly possible, and when the school came into view, Adrien couldn't help but feel his lover stiffens beside him. "Don't worry, bugaboo. We're in this together."

She flashed him a grateful smile, but as they crossed the school's threshold, they both somehow felt as if they had just walked into the dragon's den.


	39. Chapter 39: Sheer Awe

As Adrien and Marinette crossed the school's threshold, hand in hand and unmistakably reconciled, an uncomfortable and eerie silence fell on the courtyard.

Every single set of eyes snapped toward the pair, with judgmental stares as they took in their proximity and the love oozing between them. Their tightly intertwined fingers left no room for any doubt: Adrien had already won back his lady's heart. Not-so-subtle whispers were heard as they walked through the courtyard, each one mercilessly piercing their tired hearts.

 _"Figures. He's a rich and famous model, she was bound to forgive him eventually."_

Fingers becoming ever so slightly more slippery, loosening their grip around her hand.

 _"So when you're an Agreste you can get away with anything, even cheating? Neat."_

A hitch in the familiar breath, a fumble in the usually confident step.

 _"She's been drooling after him for years now, she's just too proud to admit she was wrong."_

Bluebell eyes stilled, porcelain teeth nibbled on a cherry-pink lower lip.

 _"You know what they say, money can buy everything."_

The blue-eyed girl felt her boyfriend tense even further beside her if it was humanly possible, and his fingers began to slip from her hand as he tried to distance himself from her. He was obviously trying to spare her the nasty rumors sparked by their unanticipated reconciliation, and it only irked her further. Seeing the man she loved being so uncomfortable by her side made Marinette's heart twitch uncomfortably in her chest, and a surge of Ladybug's confidence shot in her veins. The young woman tightened her grip around Adrien's hand, effectively derailing his attempted escape. "Hell, no. I'm done giving a damn about what people say about us."

Right on cue, Chloe barrelled down in the courtyard, a smiling Nathanael on her heels. The blonde heiress launched herself at her childhood friend, locking her arms around his neck like she had done countless times before. "Adrikins!" she squealed delightedly, their significant others smiling fondly at the familiar sight, which now shined under a brand new light. If the total mess the previous week had been had resulted in one single positive thing, it was without a single doubt the obviously strengthened bond between the blond pair. What would have previously annoyed Marinette to no end she now found utterly adorable. A quick glance to Nathanael confirmed that the slightly infatuated redhead perfectly mirrored her feelings on the matter.

"Not feeling that good, Chloe, keep it down please," groaned a still-wary Adrien as he kept casting worried glances at the beautiful woman standing beside him, trying to gauge her reaction while uselessly attempting to summon as little attention as he could upon them.

Still holding his hand in a merciless death grip, Marinette watched in sheer awe as the blonde heiress's gaze went from Adrien's miserable expression to their intertwined fingers, from his stiff shoulders to the students scattered around them staring at the young couple. And then, something shifted in the icy-blue eyes. Chloe smiled, a cunning smile that sent shivers down the bluebell-eyed girl's spine. "Come on, Marinette, you're still giving him a hard time about that stupid picture?"

Adrien stiffened even further by her side, torn between telling his older friend off and his sudden wish to sink into the floor, disappearing for good. Marinette had to fight herself hard to repress a knowing smile and keep her shocked expression somewhat believable. Nathanael managed to choke on his apple bite, effectively stifling the laughter threatening to escape his lips. On her part, Chloe looked utterly pleased with herself, her hip popped out, a smug look spread on her features. She paused for a theatrical second, letting her words, deliberately spoken at a volume a bit too loud to be polite, but low enough that it wasn't _that_ obvious that she was doing it all on purpose. Marinette had to admit, she was good. Really good, even.

Now fumbling with her phone, Chloe channeled her most haughty tone, "You probably heard what that mangy cat declared to the Ladyblog. Adrien's been telling the truth to you all along, he never cheated on you, even if I would understand him for upgrading his standards a little. And honestly, Marinette, this photo is so badly photoshopped it hurts my eyes just to look at it. See?" she added, pointing at the little digital screen she shoved into the young designer's face, "The lighting on Ladybug's suit is completely wrong, and Adrien's skin tone is way off. It's probably the work of some fan of Adrien's trying to break you guys up, or even a Ladybug fan trying to get Chat Noir off her skin. What did you expect, an easy fairytale with a happy ending? Their fans were bound to be upset seeing as they both settled for someone so … below them. Honestly, only a stupid fool would believe this picture to be a real one, let alone break up with _Adrien_ out of all people over an obviously fake picture."

A stunned silence welcomed the mayor's daughter's words, and Marinette had to fight a knowing smile yet again. Chloe had been brilliant, stellar even. Just as Chat Noir had done the day before with Alya and her followers, the blonde had just seeded the right amount of doubts into their classmates' minds. Adrien seemed to finally catch up as well, his previously shocked expression shifting into one of pure admiration.

When the young man slipped his hand back into Marinette's, it was a little bit more confidently. He squeezed her fingers lightly, a tender gesture that made her heart swell in her chest. As they headed to their classroom, following Chloe and Nathanael that were walking a few steps ahead of them, arguing about some fantasy novel the former had apparently loved a lot while the latter considered it an insult to the genre.

Alya and Nino eventually joined them, the young DJ smiling sheepishly at his best friend and uttering a shy apology, which Adrien instantly took in stride.

And for the first time in many days, the blond managed to avoid feeling self-conscious as he pressed a tender kiss on his girlfriend's temple before sliding into his seat. 

* * *

The day went on without further hitch. The curious whispers eventually died around them, leaving Marinette and Adrien to go on with their day without being bothered at all. Nino was apparently striving to be forgiven, spending as much time as it was humanly possible with his best friend, not even once noticing that he was kinda interrupting some much needed quality time between Marinette and Adrien.

As the final bell rang, though, Chloe intercepted Marinette before she could escape the school grounds. The blonde pushed a nice-looking envelope into Marinette's unsuspecting hands, looking away like she was ashamed of what she was going to say.

"I know this seems kind of strange coming from me, but I've invited all of our grade, so it would be kinda rude to leave you out. Besides, Adrien would chew my head off if I did," Chloe stated, her stare still riveted to the ground. "Be sure to look good beside my Adrikins, though. You can't tarnish his perfect looks."

Marinette smiled softly, carefully opening the luxurious envelope.

" _You are cordially invited to the very first Farewell Grand Ball_

 _At the Grand Paris Hotel_

 _Saturday, the twenty-first of May_

 _Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres will be served_

 _at seven o'clock in the evening in the Ballroom_

 _Entertainment will be provided by Jagged Stone and XY._

 _Black tie only. No sneakers or jeans shall be permitted."_

The champagne-colored paper was thick and luxurious, and the golden ink printed on it seemed to be quite pricey. But what really hit Marinette right in the feels was Chloe's subdued expression, somewhat expecting, anticipating. Smiling to herself, the young woman carefully tucked the gorgeous invitation in her purse, answering gingerly, "Don't worry, Chloe. I'll be sure to match his handsomeness to the T. We wouldn't want our Adrien to look bad."

As she turned to go back to her eagerly waiting boyfriend, Marinette surprisingly felt Chloe's hand softly land on her wrist, stopping her motion. The blonde heiress still looked somewhat shy, mellow, and that sight alone was enough to make Marinette's breath slightly hitch in her throat. The more she spent time with her, the more she could see a beautiful young woman emerging, inside and out, and it truly was a mesmerizing sight to behold. When she spoke, Chloe's voice was soft, barely above a whisper, "I have to thank you, Marinette. A real thank you, a sincere one."

Stunned, Marinette's bluebell eyes widened as she took in her former enemy words, "What … what do you mean?"

"Well, obviously, I have to thank you for making Adrien finally happy. I haven't seen him smiling that genuinely ever since his mother left." Chloe gulped as Marinette chanced a glance at the beautiful blond laughing heartily at something Nino had said while Alya shook her head, a fond smile on her lips. "But more than that," the blonde resumed, "I have to thank you for the invaluable help you've been with Nathanael."

Marinette's smile grew even wider. "How are things between you two? I've noticed you spend a lot of time together."

"We do, and it's all thanks to you. Nate and I found some common ground, some common interest at this ice skating outing you dragged us to." A fiery blush spread on the heiress's cheeks, but she sustained Marinette's curious gaze. "We ended up spending more and more time together, and I got to see him for who he really is. He's even more amazing than I thought, and I only ended up liking him even more. He's kind, selfless, and really passionate in his own subdued way when it comes to the things that matter to him. I…" Her voice trailed off as her icy-blue eyes softened to aa daydreaming hue.

Chuckling softly, Marinette playfully nudged her classmate on the arm, "Man, and I thought I had it bad for Adrien. You're really hooked, girl."

To both their surprise, it turned out that yes, Chloe was capable of blushing even further. She averted her eyes, her fingers absentmindedly fidgeting with her pendant. "He… Nathanael asked me out this morning, like, for real, and it's all thanks to you, Marinette. Being with him, heck, solely getting to know him had always only been a far-fetched dream to me, but you somehow made it happen. So, thank you."

Marinette couldn't help but smile smugly upon hearing the delightful ending to her little and alleged insane scheming. Reining in her quickly inflating ego, she managed to put on a somewhat believable delighted face, and said softly, "I didn't do much, Chloe. All I did is a little push in the right direction, Nate and you did the rest on your own." She paused for a second, before murmuring to the mayor's daughter so their classmates wouldn't hear, "I'm really happy for you two, you both deserve to be with someone that'll go to the moon and back for you. I'm glad it turned out okay."

Chloe somehow managed to grin through her betraying blush, and whispered in answer, "You know, you really deserve a bone crushing hug right now. It's a shame I still hate you."

"It really is," Marinette answered, a bit of that smug look still hanging on her features. "I'll strike you a deal, I'll go hug my boyfriend while you go hug yours, this way none of us will go un-hugged. Alright?"

Whatever clever reply Chloe had managed to come up with, it was drowned out in a sudden and unmistakable whirr of a camera shutter. The ground rumbled mercilessly beneath their feet, and looking at her classmate's panicked expression, Marinette couldn't help the feeling of dread pooling in her gut. A photography-themed akuma could only mean one thing—

"WHERE IS CHAT NOIR? I'LL SHOW THAT MANGY ALLEY CAT WHAT A TASTELESS LIAR HE TRULY IS!" resonated in a low, booming voice through the whole school's ground.

Marinette spun on her heels, her worst fears confirmed as her heart caught in her throat, her worried gaze crossing Adrien's for merely a split second.

And they ran.


	40. Chapter 40: Paparazzo

As he plummeted to the ground, Chat Noir let out a heartfelt groan. They had been fighting for hours already, without gaining a single inch on the rightfully angry akuma.

Paparazzo kept escaping their assaults, making the ground shake menacingly with each "earth-shattering" new secret he uncovered each time he succeeded in dazzling a poor citizen with the flash of his camera, making them unwillingly spill their dirtiest secrets for all the world to see.

The worst part? This one was a _teleporting_ akuma.

He kept cackling madly, vanishing and reappearing elsewhere every time either of the superhero managed to get within reach of him. Every time he teleported, Paparazzo snapped a few other pictures, reeling poor citizens in his unhealthy cycle of revelations all the while reiterating over and over again that the media were everywhere, unstoppable.

Not for the first time in his life, Chat Noir wished that this statement was false.

It became obvious rather quickly that Paparazzo was on a personal vendetta, striving to get back at the leather-clad hero who had wronged him.

As he painfully got up to his feet once again, he received a call on his staff that he reluctantly took, "Now's not really the time for a chat, m'lady. Where you at?"

" _Running out of sight. Listen, Minou,_ " Ladybug huffed in her compact, the wind in her pigtails corroborating the fact she was trying to ditch the akuma, _"it's the second time Vincent Aza has been akumatized. Do you remember how we defeated Pixelator?"_

"A mirror," breathed Chat Noir. Desperately clutching his weapon, he jumped out of the way of yet another camera flash trying to blind him and uncover all of his darkest secrets.

" _There you go, Chaton. Try to find the biggest mirror you can, alright? I'll distract this baddie in the meantime._ "

The implications of her statement painfully sunk in. "Bug, no! We're gonna do it toget-"

The end of his sentence was met with a black screen, which he didn't have much time to dwell over considering Paparazzo's renewed interest in him. Shooting a stray of bright flashes his way, the akumatized villain marched menacingly toward the feline hero, madly cackling under his breath. "There, there, there. The almighty Chat Noir isn't that proud when his disgusting bug isn't there to back him up."

"Don't you dare insult her," growled the hero between clenched teeth, rolling out of the way of yet another volley of blinding beams. Before he could fully make it back to his feet, a blur of black and blond collided hard with his chest, enclosing him in a deathly embrace.

The unexpected movement knocked off his balance, effectively sending himself and his unforeseen opponent tumbling on the concrete in a blurry mess of limbs. "Run," a startlingly familiar voice quickly whispered in his ear, as the body pressed against his chest hurriedly teared itself from him, facing Paparazzo and dashing away from him, effortlessly dodging the unrelenting bombardment of camera flashes and successfully driving them away from him.

Before he could even register exactly what had happened, Chat Noir found himself racing madly in the opposite direction. He couldn't help the grin spreading on his face from ear to ear as the previous events finally sunk in. It had last barely a split second, but he had seen it. Recognized it. The well-known bluebell eyes, plump pink lips, the faint hint of red under the black mask.

He didn't have time questioning where in the world Ladybug had found such a convincing costume of her counterpart, but he had to recognize that from afar, she was doing an amazing job impersonating him. Carefully avoiding making any sound that could reveal the trickery, she was running across the rooftops, dragging the enraged akuma as far as she could from her rather impressed boyfriend. The mock-up staff was safely tucked in her back, and it was clear to him that she was purposely avoiding any jump that would require using her yoyo —but Paparazzo was none the wiser, following her like a moth drawn to a flame.

Intent on making good use of her odd but welcomed distraction, Chat Noir rushed into the first furniture store to cross his path. He dived through the aisles like a madman, waving off the frightened clerk with a quick, "Don't worry, whatever I take I'll put back."

Once he found what he was looking for, the leather-clad young man tore the full-length mirror from its stand, ripping a nearby curtain to strap it onto his back. Satisfied with his curious setup he dearly hoped to be effective, he flashed a cocky grin to the still hyperventilating clerk and darted back into the street.

Finding his way back to the fight was an easy feat given the way Paparazzo kept boasting loudly about all the dirty secrets he had uncovered, threatening his opponent while intently trash talking about Ladybug. He was obviously trying to get Chat Noir to lose his focus, to make a fatal mistake out of sheer anger. If he was to be honest with himself, the true Chat Noir knew that it would have happened sooner or later should it have been himself dealing with the snarky akuma. Blessing his lady foresight, he broke into a sprint, following his enhanced hearing.

If Ladybug's clever disguise was her lucky charm like he rightly suspected, they were on a timer.

Spotting the fighting pair from afar, Chat Noir jumped on a nearby rooftop and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Hey! Paparazzo! It's me you want? Come and get me!"

Paparazzo's attention instantly snapped on him, his teeth bared in sheer anger as he snarled menacingly, "I've been fooled." He brought his polaroid back to his eyes, pressing on the button and sending a threatening flash directly toward Chat.

But the feline hero was ready.

Spinning on his heels, he presented his back to the incoming attack. Just like he had years before, Vincent Aza's akumatized form found his own offensive reflected on the sleek surface of the mirror and coming back right at him without mercy. He stumbled for a second, dazed by the intense light, and fell on his knees in the middle of the street. Shaking uncontrollably, he sobbed miserably as his darkest secret escaped his clenched lips, "I'm a nobody who makes a living out of ruining other people's lives."

The fake Chat Noir kneeled in front of him, removing his camera from around his neck and shattering it on the ground with a regretful look in her eyes. Minutes later, the akuma was cured, the city was restored, Ladybug was herself again and Vincent Aza was returned to his original state.

Painfully gulping, the guilt clenching at his insides, Chat Noir put a hand on the unsuspecting man's shoulder, "Look, while I still think it's very wrong to expose other people's private life for the world to see without their consent, I understand your mistake. And as a show of good faith that we don't hold a grudge, I may be able to help to mend your precarious career. Nobody managed to snap a clear picture of Ladybug and I kissing yet."

The paparazzi eyes lit up hearing those words. "Why would you do that?"

Chat smiled warmly, reminding himself that the man before him was only that, a man trying to put bread on his table. A shrill beep disturbed the silence, and the spotted lady visibly tensed beside him. Offering his hand to the man he had unwillingly destroyed trying to mend his own life, the leather-clad hero breathed softly, "I also have my wrongs in this story. I shouldn't have lied to try and fix things up. You were right, it wasn't me that alleyway. But it wasn't Ladybug either. You should have looked closer, because what you happened to witness that day was an elaborate roleplay session, granted featuring a really realistic Ladybug cosplay, between a charming young couple of fans. All you managed to do is cause a lot of problems for a couple who were just having a bit of fun. You gotta know there are some amazing cosplayers out there. Even we get mixed up sometimes."

Ignoring the warning beep coming from his girlfriend's earrings along with the stunned look on the paparazzi's face, Chat Noir went on, "We tried our best to clear things up without publicly outing them, but no one was willing to listen. We also... didn't want them to be ashamed of a hobby that obviously pleases them both. So, please take your picture, forget the whole ordeal for all of our sakes and consider us even. Just hurry. My lovely lady here is on the clock as we speak."

A moment later, kisses were properly given for the show, pictures taken for posterity, are farewell and apologies rightfully made. A worried Chat Noir gathered his girlfriend tight against his chest right at the last second, holding her close to his beating heart as he ran across Parisian rooftops, trying his best to shelter her civilian body from the bite of the cold of the night quickly dawning on them and from prying eyes. When he finally landed in the alley behind the bakery, he gingerly deposited her on the concrete, a sad smile dancing on his face. "Your parents must be worried sick about you. We've been fighting ever since school ended."

A loving hand caressed his cheek, making him shiver in pleasure and leaning into her touch.

"You know your father is worried too, Adrien. He loves you as much as I do, I know he does," she said tenderly, her blue eyes searching his.

The blond averted her gaze, his shoulders suddenly slumping. Marinette cocked an eyebrow, stepping further into his personal space, "Adrien Agreste, you _are_ loved, do you hear me? I love you so much I can't even put words on it, my parents simply adore you, and I _know_ your father also loves you. How could he not?"

"Things… things aren't that simple between us, Mari. I… I think he lost interest in me a long time ago."

Not to be deterred, Marinette crossed her arms in front of her. "You're lying."

"What do you even know about my father?" Chat Noir huffed, a bit harsher than intended. "He's been ignoring me for almost five years now."

"Have you tried inviting him to the graduation ceremony? Surely, he'll come. It's a once in a lifetime event." Marinette provided, her voice soothing and understanding.

Planting a chaste peck on her lips, the blond sighed. "I haven't. It's no use, he'll say no or cancel, like he always does."

The young woman stretched herself, pressing her lips firmly against Adrien's, a clear statement of her feelings toward him. "Humor me. Ask him to come, tell him how much it means to you. If he says no nonetheless, you get to choose the next five movies we see at the cinema."

His sad smile widened as he wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling his nose in the crook of her neck. "I hope you love cheap horror movies, princess, cause you're in for a treat."

* * *

Adrien paused for a second, his fist halted mid-motion, his heart caught somewhere in his throat. He _knew_ he shouldn't feel like that, like an intruder about to enter a war-zone, but he couldn't help it. Years of neglect, years of behaving like a mere employee came crashing back on him all at once. All the times his father failed to show up at important-to-him events, all the times his hard-earned achievements were met with an indifferent " _You can do better than that."_ Every single missed birthday, every lonely Christmas suddenly reared their ugly head back, seemingly chanting in his ear " _He won't come, he won't come, he won't come._ "

True, his father had never been a pleasant person to be around to begin with, despite how much his son strived heart and soul to please him. But right then, Adrien felt his throat painfully constrict at the unnerving prospect of confronting the stern man, of _asking_ something from him. Of showing himself vulnerable in front of the man who was supposed to take care of him.

Right on cue, his phone vibrated in his pocket, forcing his thoughts back on rational matters. Pulling it out of his jeans pocket, he couldn't help himself but smile as he saw the characters displayed on the digital screen.

 _[19:14] Mari :3 : Thinking of you :3 Even if he ends up saying no, you'll still have my folks cheering for you. I love you :3_

Her encouraging words were all the push he lacked to raise his fist back and land three dry knocks on his father's office door, his heart pounding in his ears.

"Come in."

Trying to ignore the oppressing feeling in his chest, he pretended he didn't notice the sheer indifference in the tone of voice, the hints of annoyance at the disturbance, and he pushed the heavy door open. "Evening, father."

"Adrien?" startlingly replied the busy man, pushing his glasses back on his nose but not quite tearing his icy blue stare from his computer, "I wasn't aware that we were scheduled to meet tonight."

Gulping painfully, Adrien closed the door behind him and made his way toward the heavy wooden desk. "We weren't, father. I'm sorry to interrupt, but I came to talk to you about something."

This at least had the result of bringing the older man attention on his son, his eyes scanning him intently. "What is it, Adrien?"

"It's my graduation ceremony on Friday evening," the blond managed to utter, nervousness pooling in his stomach as he spoke, "and it would mean the world to me if you could attend."

Gabriel eyed his son carefully, visibly weighing the pros and the cons of what he was about to say next. "It has come to my attention that Mlle Bourgeois is planning some kind of event to celebrate the end of your studies."

The odd answer made Adrien pause for a second, eyeing his father warily. "She's throwing a ball on Saturday, yes, why?"

The older Agreste leaned back in his chair, still looking at the man before him intently. When he spoke, his words were measured, shy even. "I would prefer if you'd refrain attending. Young adults get-together like this tend to get a little bit… messy, and the press would have another field-day—"

"I won't get Marinette pregnant, if that's what worries you." Adrien blurted out, unable to understand the motives behind his father's reluctance. "Mother and I had the birds and the bees talk a long time ago, and Mari and I are taking precautions."

The upfront admittance at the level of intimacy both young people had already reached together took Gabriel by surprise, and he could only manage to blink in sheer astonishment as he tried to put his thoughts back on track. "Adrien, I know you're a responsible man and won't make any harsh decisions, but—"

"With all due respect, father, Marinette and I were really looking forward to that event." Adrien insisted, dead set against conceding this victory. His lady has been all hyped up to the prospect of dressing up and celebrating among their friends, and he was more than happy to oblige her. And, truth be told, the idea of seeing his girlfriend all dolled-up was quite appealing on its own, and he wouldn't accept getting ripped of those last careless moments.

Refusing to let go, Gabriel crossed his arms on his chest, looking sternly at his offspring. "Well then, maybe we could organize some kind of private celebratory event for you and Mlle Dupain-Cheng? You could take the town car and treat her to some fancy dinner—"

"I'm accompanying Mari to that ball whether you agree or not, father." Adrien answered, a definite hint of certainty in his voice. "This is the last time our class will be gathered together in the same room, there's no way I'll miss out on that. It's way too meaningful in my eyes. Moreover, I wasn't asking for permission. I only came here to invite you to my graduation ceremony, which also happens to be very important to me."

"Adrien, please reconsider—"

"You know what, _father,_ " Adrien snarled, ignoring the venom pooling in his mouth as the word rolled out unpleasantly, "do as you please, like always. It doesn't matter if you don't show up, because you _never_ did anyway. How sad is it that Marinette's parents already bought me a graduation present _and_ saved me a spot at _their_ table, because they know that I'll be, one last time, the only parentless student in the room?"

He spun on his heels, anger flaring in his eyes. What was he expecting? For his father to become a present and loving parent all of a sudden? They had a quiet understanding as of late, to stay out of each other's way, but hoping for a real father/son relationship, something even a quarter than what Marinette had with her parents — heck, about _himself_ had with _her_ parents — apparently was a tad far-fetched.

"I _am_ proud of you, you know."

His father's defeated voice stopped Adrien dead in his tracks, his hand hovering over the door handle.

"I may have been absent, and most of the time unreachable, but I have kept close tabs on you and your progresses all of those years. You have grown into an amazing young man, and I couldn't be prouder of you, Adrien. Marinette is a lucky girl to have caught your heart, and I can foresee a really bright future for both of you. Your mother would be really happy to see how fine a young man you turned out to be, despite my failure at being a proper father for you."

Tears prickled at the green eyes, but he refused to face his father, to show him his weakness. He instead settled on bowing his head down, willing his voice to be as steady as he could as he quietly replied, "It's not too late to try again."

And as his hand turned the handle, Adrien heard his father answer, a faint touch of foreign softness lingering in his voice, "You said Friday? I'll have Natalie clear my schedule. Tell the Dupain-Cheng to save another seat."


	41. Chapter 41: Wishes

Thursday arrived faster than everyone expected, and soon the time left to get ready for all the big events coming up their way began to feel stifling. There was so much left to do, and so little time left. As the week went by, Adrien quickly realized just how much the upcoming events were taking their tolls on his overstressed girlfriend. Marinette had always been less than focused around him (granted, it was getting better and better ever since they began dating) but it was truly reaching ridiculous lengths.

Over the course of the past week, she had twice forgotten her schoolbag at home, somehow lost Tikki in the classroom, ruined not one but two entire batches of cookies by putting salt instead of sugar in them, knocked two potted plants off her balcony, almost set the fire alarm off in her parent's kitchen trying to boil water, handed in an assignment with "Marinette Agreste" written as the student's name, undid the wrong seam on a jacket for Alya, and even managed to fall asleep while running herself what should have been a relaxing bath, which overflowed and earned her a heartfelt rant about sleep and priorities from a rather annoyed Tom.

So when Adrien grabbed her hand at the end of Thursday's school day, dragging her to his waiting town car, it didn't come as a surprise to him that she barely reacted, following him without questioning the sudden change of habits. Fidgeting with the hem of her skirt as she sat beside him on the rear seat, Marinette kept rambling about their upcoming graduation and all she had left to do without paying attention to their surroundings. Once the car finally came to a stop, however, she stepped out and paled, speechless. "Adrien, why are we at Agreste head office?"

"Well, you're going to need a dress for Saturday's ball, and I know for a fact that you're running short on time." Adrien smiled softly at her, tenderly stroking her long fingers with his thumb.

Figuring at last where her boyfriend was headed, Marinette groaned weakly. "What in the world are you trying to do, kitty? Are you even sure your dad would agree to me being here?"

Smiling at her smugly, Adrien gallantly opened the car door for her, "It was his idea, actually."

Marinette followed him into the building, silently sulking as he led her to a cozy fitting area. Upon setting foot into the small but warm room, she sighed, still warily eyeing her boyfriend. "Adrien, you didn't dare…"

Her idea could never come to completion seeing as a small and adorable seamstress entered the room on their heels. She was a middle-aged woman, with her sand-blond hair gathered in a bun at the back of her head. Her kind gray eyes were full of acceptance and understanding as she dutifully pulled a number of dresses out of their garments bags. Nodding briefly to Marinette as a greeting, she began to work without further ceremony, holding gorgeous gowns in front of her lithe body, either wordlessly nodding to herself or sighing in disapproval, the whole ordeal being punctuated by Adrien's commentary.

Adrien and the seamstress (who turned out to be called Helen) eventually settled on a floor-length gown made out of royal-blue satin that clung to her curves just right without being openly provocative. It had a boat neckline that nicely showcased Marinette's freckled shoulders, and its mermaid skirt did wonders to enhance her muscular yet still delicate body. A layer of intricate lace in the exact same shade was covering the whole dress, making it even further feminine and unique in its own.

The second Marinette stepped out of behind the privacy screen, it became quite clear that she would walk Chloe's red carpet wearing that lace masterpiece whether she liked it or not. Adrien was staring at her open-mouthed, in utter awe, while Helen was smiling knowingly, arms crossed in front of her with the look of someone who had just achieved her life's mission. The little woman smirked, eyeing her work with a clearly proud eye. "Tell me, Adrien-honey, how in the world did you manage to snatch yourself such a fine lady?"

"I don't know, Helen," sighed the young man with a dreamy expression tattooed on his face, "I keep asking myself that exact same question every single day."

Hearing those words coming from her boyfriend/partner, Marinette couldn't help but roll her eyes. Helen didn't notice, still engrossed in her touch-up work. "My, my, I didn't think I'd ever see the day Mr. Agreste would enamor himself. You were always such a sheltered kid, I thought you were a hopeless case, no offense intended."

Adrien smiled, shamelessly eyeing his girlfriend clad in a more-than-gorgeous ball gown, shyly looking back at him. "None taken, Helen."

The good-hearted nature of Adrien and Helen became evident as the latter hemmed the gorgeous ball gown they had blissfully successfully coaxed Marinette into trying out despite her previous reluctance, casually bantering with each other.

"Oh Adrien dear," the older woman suddenly squealed, still focused on hemming Marinette's dress, "'I just remembered. Your father asked for you to review some mock-ups for the next line, and tell him if there's anything you're uncomfortable with. They are in the next room, awaiting final approval. Would you please go and look while I finish this?'

Left alone with the working woman, Marinette let her thoughts wander to the upcoming events. She dreaded the graduation day, knowing it would be a really emotional day for her parents and herself, and was really looking forward to Chloe's party. She wouldn't pass on spending time with the whole class on last blissful time for anything, and time with Chloe was nice as of lately. The blonde heiress was still going strong with her change of attitude, her budding romance with Nathanael only doing her further good. She had even proved herself to be helpful a few times through Marinette's tribulations of the past week.

She was pulled back from her thoughts by Helen gently nudging her, signaling that she had finished taking her measurements and everything she needed to alter the dress. Marinette politely thanked her and stepped back behind the privacy screen to change back into her own clothes. As soon as she handed back the gown over the panel, though, Helen asked, 'Would you try something else for me before you go, hun?' her tone somewhat pressing, insisting.

Startled, Marinette shyly asked, unsure of what was going on, "What for? I thought we already agreed on the royal-blue lace gown. You even altered it to my fitting and everything."

The older woman sighed, "Ah. Yes, lovely young lady, but I have been struggling with a little something on another design, and you fortunately happen to have just the right figure to help me out."

Marinette shyly complied, a bit reluctantly trading her school clothes a knee-length little black cotton dress. It was a really simple design, with a flowy skirt and short sleeves hugging her arms perfectly. Twirling in the room a little, making the full skirt swirl around her legs, Marinette giggled in delight. "It has a somewhat playful vibe, but it's really charming nonetheless. I can perfectly see myself wearing this on a date. What were your worries with that design, Helen?"

Before the older woman could answer, Marinette heard a familiar throat-clearing sound behind her. "Our main worry was that you would refuse to go on a proper date with yours truly," Adrien stated in a soft voice, "seeing as our first real date ended up being such a pathetic fluke. So what do you say? Would you like to go on a date with me tonight?"

Speechless, Marinette found herself looking at a rather dapper-looking Adrien, neatly clad into black dress pants and an emerald-green button-up that nicely brought up his eyes.

"You had all of this planned out beforehand, didn't you?" she asked, a smile threatening to burst from her face at any given moment.

Adrien smiled right back at her, his look one of pure love and adoration. "I maybe have. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, will you grant me the honor of being my date tonight? Don't leave that lovesick man hanging, that would be plainly cruel."

Her heart swelled in her chest seeing the lengths he went to only organize them a lovely evening, to finally treat her to a first proper date. So Marinette crossed the room and threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and planting a firm peck on his unsuspecting lips. "Yes, Adrien, I'll gladly go on a date with you."

Grinning, Adrien offered her his arm, and led her back to the town car, the enthusiastic cooings of Helen as she had snapped pictures of them for keepsake still fresh in their minds. Marinette's nearly constant pestering about their destination stayed unanswered as the young man drove with an everlasting and contented smirk on his lips. Her pleased gasp when he stopped the car near a gorgeous private beach deepened the happiness blossoming in his chest. He had been hesitant about using his father's connections for this, but the stars in her eyes made it worth his while. He was with his lady, the woman of his dreams, on a carefully planned date. She was gorgeous in her little black dress, a provided pair of kitten heels in her feet and her hair tied in a messy bun at the back of her head. Feeling giddy and anxious to get to the actual date, he quickly rounded the car and opened her door, offering her his hand.

Adrien walked her toward the sand at a leisurely pace, enjoying the quiet and the warmth of the evening. When they reached it, he gallantly kneeled down to help her remove her shoes, both of them resuming their walk barefooted. A few minutes later, Marinette let out a surprised squeal, her eyes lighting up with pure bliss at the scene laid out before them.

A large and thick cotton blanket had been laid on the sand, and various plump cushions were disposed on it, giving a cozy feeling to the area. Each corner of the blanket was carefully held in place by wrought-iron poles planted in the sand. Lit paper lanterns were dangling from said poles, enveloping the whole scene in a subdued, warm light. A nice rattan-braided basket patiently waiting for them revealed to encase some baguette bread, a wide array of cheeses, some fresh fruits along with a nice selection of her parents bakery's macarons. A bottle of white wine and a sparkling apple cider were waiting into an ice bucket beside the basket, with some frozen grapes.

Marinette gaped at Adrien, her heels still clutched in her hands. "Chaton… This…"

"Is this okay?" he cut in, scratching his neck just like he did every single time he was uncomfortable or unsure of himself, "Alya said that you liked the beach, but I wanted to make it really special since our last date was such a disaster. But it's incredibly hard to find a beach near Paris so I had to pull a few strings and I hope I didn't went overboard with this and now I'm rambling—"

"It's truly amazing, Adrien." Marinette took pity on the poor boy, and put an end to his misery. "I would never have dared hoping of such a perfect evening with you."

The way he looked at her hearing her words, with a lovesick grin on his face, made her heart skip a beat in her chest. She sat on the blanket beside him as close as humanly possible without blatantly climbing into his lap. He had put so much thought into that stolen evening, had so carefully planned this moment to remember that she found herself falling in love with him all over again.

They ate while talking quietly, planning the next few stressful days, going over details, chatting about their last days of school, never breaking physical contact. His hand on her knee, their thighs flush against each other's, her fingers laced with his. They shared the wine in between kisses, Adrien feeling himself becoming more and more greedy of her. Marinette's fingers in his hair as they kissed, the hint of wine on her lips, it was making his head spin.

Once their stomachs were full and their lips tired from all the kissing, Adrien found himself lying on his back on the blanket, Marinette nestled comfortably in his arms. Her head was resting slightly above his heart, and she had an arm draped over his stomach. As he looked at the stars above them, the waves a few feet away muffling out the sound of Marinette's breathing, he silently mused about how great his life had become ever since she had walked into it.

His heart pleasantly swelled in his chest as he began to form wishes about a life with her. Falling asleep every single night with her lithe body cradled in his arms just like that, waking up every morning to bluebell eyes full of love and adoration for him. Fixing her breakfast every morning just to see her eyes light up when she'd finally manage to get out of bed. A white and vapory white veil in her dark strands as she'd walk down the aisle on her father's arm, smiling fondly at him, and him only. Reading or grading papers while she would sew besides him, quietly chatting about their days. Mops of sunny-blond and midnight-black hair running around in a living room full of toys—full of life, of love. Growing old with her, sharing every single day of his life with this beautiful lady he was lucky enough to love like a mad man, and be loved back.

A contented sigh escaped his lips, and Adrien felt his lover slightly twitch in his embrace.

"Penny for your thoughts, kitty?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Adrien softly kissed the top of her head, tightening his arms around her. "I was just thinking about the future."

Marinette giggled, a sound he would never grow tired of. "So tell me. What do you want to be when you're all grown up, Adrien?"

Without skipping a beat, he breathed, "Your husband."

The young woman tensed in his arms, then let out a soft chuckle. "I sure hope this wasn't your idea of a perfect proposal, because I'm sorry to tell you it's not gonna work out the way you wished."

"Don't worry, Marinette, the day I'll propose to you, there's gonna be flowers everywhere, tears, the perfect ring and the perfect timing. You deserve nothing short than perfection." Adrien smiled, his fingers tenderly caressing the exposed skin above the back of her dress. "But I do want to spend every remaining day of my life with you. I want to build a family with you, I want to be by your side through every ups and every downs. I want to grow old with you, and love you until my dying breath."

Marinette's breath hitched in her throat. For the second time that night, she felt her heart swell with love and adoration toward the handsome blond she was leaning on, and a single tear slid down her cheek. "I'd love that very much. All of it."

She let the beating of his heart underneath the thin fabric of his shirt, along with the familiar warmth of his body pressed against hers lull her in a state of perfect contentment, of sheer relaxation.

An hour or two later, a highly amused Tom would call Adrien, asking if they had managed to fall asleep somewhere under the stars. The young man would promptly deny the good-hearted accusation (they totally had) and promise to return their missing daughter right away.

An hour or two after that, Adrien would tenderly explore every inch of his girlfriend's skin in the darkness of her room, loving her with all his being into the wee hours of the morning.

The day after, graduation would come, along with a string of life-altering decisions to make and major changes to both of their lives.

But for the time being, they were only two young adults profoundly in love with each other, basking in each other's warmth on a Parisian beach one nice summer evening, being without a care in the world one final night.


	42. Chapter 42: Among the Stars

_**I do know that there's no such thing as a graduation ceremony in France. But I wanted them to have their special day, so let's agree that Chloe saw it on an american show, and became obsessed with the idea of having her own, therefore forcing the school to play along.**_

 _ **She might be nicer, but you can't change TOTALLY overnight ! ^^**_

* * *

Huddled against her boyfriend's side in the back of his town car, Marinette once again caught his hands in hers, going mad with the repetitive motion he had been making nonstop for the past ten minutes or so. "Stop fidgeting with your ring like that, you're making me nervous."

Adrien sighed, closing his fingers around hers to resist the tentation. "Sorry, princess. I'm getting antsy here."

"Yeah, I can tell," she breathed softly, resting her head against his shoulder. "Everything's going to be fine, alright? We're going to put on those ridiculous ceremony dresses, look silly with our mortarboards for the pictures, go on that stage to retrieve our diplomas and have a lovely celebratory dinner with our parents. What could possibly go wrong, kitty?"

The blond inhaled deeply, savoring the scent of her hair on his shoulder. "I could trip on my way to the stage."

"Please," Marinette chuckled, her thumb gently stroking the side of his hand. "You are a _model_ , you have walked runways more perilous than an aisle and a four-steps high stairs."

He smiled against her head, reveling in her proximity. Her touch never failed to soothe him, and he went on with his silly worries on the sole purpose of having Marinette comforting him like she was doing. " _You_ could trip."

"I'm a professional tripper, don't you remember? Half the school probably expect it anyway, so it wouldn't be that much of a big deal."

He gave a low chuckle, his nerves slowly but surely loosening up. Planting a quick peck on the crown of her head, he whispered tenderly, "They could realize they have made a mistake, and I haven't graduated after all. Then you'll all abandon me and go on with your lives as I'll be stuck redoing it all over again."

Her laugh was crystalline, pure music in his ears. "Adrien, the only person that had higher grades than you is Max, and I'm still not convinced that this guy is one-hundred-percent human. If _you_ aren't graduating, then it means that all of our class is failing. Therefore no one would be abandoning you."

The car came to a stop, giving them a momentum to pull slightly away from each other as the Gorilla rounded the car and opened the door for them, a fond smile on his otherwise stern features. As Adrien put a hand on the small of Marinette's back to guide them through the crowd of stressed out students and squealing parents, he felt a firm pat on his back. Turning around, dumbfounded, he found himself facing a grinning bodyguard, showing him two thumbs up.

Apparently, words were useless when it came to tell someone you have been watching closely for years that you are proud of them.

His heart swelling in his chest, Adrien returned the smile warmly, and went back to navigate both himself and his girlfriend toward the area where they were supposed to retrieve their uniforms for the ceremony.

As they got dressed, both slightly giddy and emotional at the meaning behind their special day and the exciting life-steps that were quickly coming their way, Adrien couldn't help but think that it was a real shame that Marinette had to cover her beautiful dress with such a bland traditional get up. The black cap and gown were hiding all of her beautiful pink short-sleeved dress that she had spent all week sewing with all her heart. The cut of her dress was simple, falling just below her knees while a satin black sash tied into a huge bow in her back outlined her waist nicely. Her black hair had been gathered into an elegant bun on the nape of her neck, and she had just the perfect amount of makeup on, enhancing her amazing eyes and her perfect lips without making her look like a fraud.

She was perfect. Stunningly and completely perfect.

To him, his girlfriend looked like a porcelain doll, and he felt like he was falling in love with her all over again (a third time).

He must have been staring at her for some time, because she smiled at him warmly and gently tugged on his hand. "Come on, handsome boy. They're going to call your name and you'll still be standing here."

And as he followed her down the carpeted aisle that had been set up in the park near the school, he eagerly held onto her hand, grinning from ear to ear. She was right, after all. No matter how the day would unfold, at the end of it they'd both be graduates, and ready to move on with their lives.

Together.

He wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

Sitting at the table they had secured for their little family, Tom and Sabine were grinning proudly, their hearts boasting with joy at the sight of the two young adults they loved so much standing hand-in-hand beside the stage, wearing matching cap, gowns and smiles.

Mme Bustier stepped forward to the microphone, smiling fondly at her charges. M. D'Argencourt stood beside her, a basket full of rolled up diplomas in his hands. M. Damoclès, Mme Mendeleiev and M. Haprèle were lined up beside him, ready to shake the hands of their students and congratulates them. Grasping the microphone with a steady hand, Miss Bustier began her speech, pride dripping from each word.

"From all the teaching body, I really want to congratulate each and everyone of you. This school has been your home for quite some time now, and I know for a fact that many of you are going to miss Françoise-Dupont. Through the years, we have all grown to be like a second family, and it's something you can be very proud of. We sure are.

"A saying from an unknown author says to shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.

"Savour each day that life brings you, be the best person you can be and follow your dreams. Find your passions, find something to challenge you, to make each morning worth waking up for. Reach for your own stars, don't be afraid to try and make mistakes for they'll make you grow.

"Today is the beginning of the rest of your lives, and it's up to you to make the most of it. You are all promising young adults, with a bright future ahead of you, and we're all looking forward to all the great thing you are going to accomplish in the next few years."

Both the parents seated in the parks and the students gathered near the stage clapped and cheered as Mme Bustier finished her speech. A few tears were wiped, and smiles were plastered on every faces. Once the applause finally died down, she spoke again, her voice steady and caring. "As I call your name, please come and get your diploma, then wait on the other side of the stage for the group picture." She marked a short pause and smiled softly, readying herself to call their names for the very last time _._ "Agreste, Adrien."

Smiling broadly as the blond walked toward the scene, Tom jumped on his feet under his wife's amused gaze, clapping excitedly and shouting with his powerful voice, "YES! THAT'S MY BOY!"

The chair across from Tom rattled loudly, startling the huge man, and he turned toward the newcomer, still clapping for his daughter's boyfriend. His kind green eyes met cold blue ones as he found himself facing an obviously displeased Gabriel Agreste. "I believe that this is my son, not yours."

"Alexandre, Carine."

"Arsenault, Alice."

"Bourgeois, Chloé."

At her name, the blonde heiress sauntered confidently toward the teachers. Tom groaned audibly. "Someone had to be here to cheer for him, seeing as you almost missed him."

"Bruel, Ivan."

"Césaire, Alya."

"Maybe so," answered Gabriel, his voice nearly drowned under the screams of joy from Alya's little sisters, "but I didn't."

"Couffaine, Juleka."

Beyond annoyed with Adrien's father, the baker couldn't help but mutter, "The starting hour wasn't a suggestion, you know."

"Dastous, Gilbert."

"Descoteaux, Antoine."

"Dupain-Cheng, Marinette."

Ignoring the frosty stare the man sitting in front of them flashed their way in reply, Sabine and Tom promptly stood up, loudly cheering for their cherished daughter. She flashed them a radiant smile and a small wave as she received her diploma from M. D'argencourt's hands, and happily strutted to her waiting boyfriend, surprisingly without tripping or stumbling on her way.

"Fugère, Isabelle."

"Haprèle, Mylène."

"Kanté, Max."

"You know," Gabriel snarled between clenched teeth, "some of us have important business to attend. I made it on time, it's the only thing that matters."

"Kubdel, Alix."

"Kurtzberg, Nathaniel."

The shy artist was furiously blushing as he hopped onto the scene under the exuberant cheering of his older brothers, whistling shrilly and loudly calling his name. Meanwhile, Tom was busy glaring at Gabriel, unable to believe his ears. Did the man really care that little for his son?

"Lahiffe, Nino."

Gabriel sustained the accusing gaze while everyone in the room 'aww'ed as Nino's three-year-old sister ran toward her older brother, only to be intercepted by her other brother a few feet before the scene. Nino retrieved his diploma giggling, waving fondly toward his favorite little girl.

"Lambert, Anita."

"Lavillant, Rose."

"Lê Chiến, Kim."

Tom Dupain tore his gaze away from the designer for a minute, watching with amusement as the athlete easily jumped on the stage, shaking his teacher's' hands a bit too eagerly and jogging to Alix's side and plucked her up, swirling her in the air while laughing heartily.

"Patenaude, Javier."

"Quessy, Henry."

"Raincomprix, Sabrina."

The redhead climbed on the stage, last but not the least, and joined her classmates on the other side, posing for the photographer together, throwing their caps in the air as they all laughed, beyond elated and emotional. A page was turned, it was time for them to begin a new chapter of their lives.

As the classmates were cheering together one last time, hugging each other while laughing and crying tears of joy, Gabriel leaned back in his chair, eyeing the bubbly couple sitting across the table. "So, how is the humble baker's wife life been treating you, Sabine?" he smirked, folding his hands in his lap.

Tom frowned, his enormous fists clenching by his side. "What's wrong about being a baker's wife, Agreste?"

"Nothing, naturally, _Dupain_ ," answered him the lean man, acid drooping in every single word. "But I always figured Sabine had a brilliant future ahead of her. Astrophysicist, neurosurgeon, you know, something that actually _matters_."

"Oh, because plastering a butterfly on someone else's designs is so much more important than putting food on one's table. Actually you wouldn't know a thing about that, considering the way you starve your very own growing son," Tom growled, anger taking over him.

The tension between the two men, already palpable, grew up a further notch. Sabine sighed and put what she hoped was a calming hand on her husband's arm. "Stop that already, both of you. The children might hear you and ask questions neither of us want to answer."

The fashion mogul had a low chuckle, a mean spark in his cold blue eyes. "Ah. Right. What a fine daughter you have there, Sabine. She'll make amazing designs for me to 'plaster my butterfly' on someday." A wicked smile stretched his lips as he turned Tom's earlier words against him. "I could've never dreamed of a better prospect for my son, who happens to follow a healthily balanced diet, thank you for your concern. Beautiful and talented, Marinette must certainly take after your side of the family."

"What a coincidence," Tom snarled between clenched teeth. "Adrien has grown into a handsome and kind young man, very well-mannered. Amelya has done an amazing job raising him, it's truly a shame she isn't around anymore to take care of him."

Gabriel jerked forward, his face twisted in pure anger. Barely catching himself, he wrestled with his composure, concealing his anger by needlessly adjusting his tie. With tense shoulders and bared teeth, he snarled, "Don't you dare bring my wife into this, Dupain. I think you have enough on your plate with your _business_ and your own family, I'll take care of my son myself."

"Maybe then you should wonder why your son spends as little time as possible in your house. That boy needs to be loved, not micromanaged." The jab was slightly childish, but well-deserved as far as Tom was concerned.

"I don't need lessons on how to raise my child from a measly baker, Dupain," Gabriel spat, standing up and turning his back on the Dupain-Chengs, walking away from them.

Tom's voice stopped him dead in his tracks. "At least _we_ aren't willingly endangering our child on a daily basis."

Spinning on his heels, the designer faced them once again, pure fury clearly displayed on his face. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean," answered the burly man, fighting back his own anger for Adrien's sake. "If you really love him, you should reconsider your priorities. Is it really worth risking losing him too?"

"I'm warning you-"

Gabriel's threat remained forever incomplete, seeing as Adrien and Marinette chose this precise second to reach their table hand in hand, wearing matching proud grins and clutching their diplomas in their free hand.

"I'm glad you made time to come, father," Adrien said softly, and Tom hated every syllable pronounced in a subdued, submissive tone that had no business being in the young man's mouth.

"Well, you made it quite clear that it was important for you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have prior engagements that could not be delayed. Enjoy your evening, Adrien, see you at _home_ later tonight. Good evening too, Marinette," Gabriel answered matter-of-factly, putting emphasis on the word "home" as he looked directly at Tom.

Both teenagers were taken aback from the sheer hostility radiating from both men. Eyeing her parents warily as Adrien's father walked away, Marinette asked the question that was burning their lips, "Did something happened?"

Sabine smiled warmly, casting a warning glance toward her husband. "Don't worry, honey. Your fathers simply got in a little disagreement, nothing major."

Neither Adrien nor Marinette believed her weak explanation, but as it was quite clear that this was the only answer they were going to get, they chose to enjoy their evening.

They'd worry about that later.

* * *

"What the hell were you thinking?" asked a rather annoyed Sabine later that night, her arms crossed in front of her as she watched her husband undressing in their room, still sulking about his previous encounter with the fashion mogul. "What were you hoping to achieve?" she insisted.

Tom groaned, sitting on the edge of their bed, burying his head in his hands. "I don't know, okay? I just… Sometimes I wish we could just straight away adopt Adrien and pull him out of that personal hell of his."

His wife rolled her eyes without making a move toward him. "What did you expect? That he'd surrender to your arguments, give up on his foolish quest and hand back his miraculous?"

"No! Of course not!"

"Then why in the world did you provoke him like that? At our daughter's graduation ceremony, no less." Sabine was beginning to lose her temper, something Tom truly didn't want to see. His wife was a force to reckon with when she was angry, and he didn't want to be on the receiving end of her fury.

Bowing his head, he weakly grumbled, conscious that he was being childish, "He's the one who began in the first place."

"Oh come on, Tom," Sabine sighed, exasperated. "Gabriel Agreste has been madly jealous of you ever since college, and you are perfectly aware of this. You could've at least act like the grown man you're supposed to be."

Taken aback, he stuttered, staring at his wife disbelievingly, "J-Jealous? Of m-me? Why-"

She sat beside him, shaking her head as if it was sheer evidence. "You always were that giant bear with a heart of gold that everyone loved, while he was that awkward kid doodling alone in his corner and barely speaking to anyone."

He was about to protest, but she cut him, a stern expression still painted on her features, "And even now, in his eyes you have everything he doesn't: you have a loving wife and a daughter that absolutely adores you, while his own wife is gone and his relationship with his son is beyond broken. And you had to go and throw it all in his face."

"I… didn't think," he uttered painfully, her words slowly sinking in.

As she switched off their bedroom light, Sabine answered dryly, obviously still annoyed with him, "Yeah. I can tell."


	43. Chapter 43: All Over Again

The next day found Adrien restless, pacing up in his hallway as he waited for Nino to finally show up. Chloe had poured her heart and soul into this evening's gala, their last night together. The last thing he wanted to have on his hands was an akumatized blonde heiress because something had, somehow, gone awry despite her thorough planning. He checked his phone once more, casting an apologetic glance to the Gorilla, who merely shrugged in answer. Obviously, Adrien was the only one feeling under pressure in the Agreste manor that night, not that was anything new.

True, Nino's (not quite yet) tardiness wasn't the sole reason for his nervousness. As the time went by, the young man was getting more and more anxious to see his girlfriend in that gorgeous dress they had chosen together. He knew without a doubt that she was going to be stunning, the most beautiful girl in Paris that night, with whom even the stars wouldn't be able to compare. She was incredibly pretty waking up disheveled and groggy, so it was a given that once she was all pampered up, he'd be physically unable to tear his eyes from her.

Hence why he was more than eager to see her: to give himself time to adjust to her stunning beauty before meeting with the rest of their class and hopefully avoid looking like the lovesick fool he not-so-secretly was where Marinette was concerned.

Adrien himself was as handsome as he could ever be, wearing a top-quality suit that was sharp-looking and well fitted. Exactly the sort of thing that a woman would expect from her son-of-an-international-designer boyfriend and with Helen's precious help, he had ensured he would be the most elegant young man in the room. The suit was a classic, a sure choice. Again with his faithful stylist's invaluable input, he had matched a dark blue tie and a slightly lighter vest to Marinette's magnificent dress.

Right as his thoughts were beginning to take a rather unpleasant turn (would Marinette approve of his choice? What if she had preferred he'd wear green to match his own eyes instead of trying to complement hers?), the doorbell finally rang. Adrien immediately rushed forward, yanking the door open unceremoniously to reveal a grinning Nino, clad in a nice black suit paired with an orange tie. He had cleverly left his everlasting cap and headphones at home, avoiding what probably would've been the argument of the year with Alya.

His friend snickered as soon as he took in Adrien's restless appearance and eagerness, his own hands shoved deep in his pockets. "Someone's quite eager to leave, I see?"

Adrien sighed weakly, burrowing his hands in his own pockets, refusing to look at his friend in the eye. "What would you do in my shoes? I'm about to take the most beautiful girl in France to a formal ball."

"Oh, but I _am_ in your shoes, friend," smirked Nino. "Alya's currently a walking daydream to any man lucky enough to cross her path."

That made Adrien stop fidgeting with the cuff of his shirt and stare at his friend, dumbfounded. "Wait. What? Have you gone to Mari's?"

"Yup, stopped on my way here." Nino smiled, knowing perfectly well that he was about to turn his best friend into a jealous mess. "She made me a tie to match Alya's dress, I had to pick it up. Plus, Mari was having a mental breakdown about some hair issue, and they wanted a man's opinion."

"B-but, Tom…?" Adrien weakly tried to supply, his longing for his beautiful lady getting worse by the minute. Surely her father must be able to provide manly opinion on such a matter? He was a man, were there any other criteria?

Nino must've gotten the gist of his protest, because he smiled knowingly and shrugged. "His opinion has been deemed unreliable because he's her father, therefore biased. Alya's words, not mine."

"Why didn't she ask me?" Adrien asked weakly, even though he knew the answer pretty well.

"Because you two are disgustingly romantic and sappy," Nino unsurprisingly answered, looking every bit smug with himself, "and your lady wanted to surprise you. We should go, by the way. They must be waiting for us by now. Mari was almost ready when I left."

The blond nodded and opened the door again, only to be stopped by a familiar, stern voice. "Adrien."

He turned, to see Gabriel standing at the top of the stairs, his arms linked in his back. There wasn't a single trace of warmth or tenderness on his features, and Adrien felt Nino squirm uncomfortably beside him. "Yes, father?"

"I figure nothing I'll say will change your mind about going to this … celebration?"

Adrien straightened his back, refusing to cower before his father like he used to. "You're right, nothing will."

"Very well." Gabriel sighed disapprovingly and pinched the bridge of his nose. When he looked back at his son, it was with a cold and distant expression. "Send Mlle Dupain-Cheng my regards."

"I will. Good evening, father," Adrien answered dryly, ignoring the unpleasant ominous feeling going down his spine.

Nino exited the manor before him, and just as he was about to close the door behind him, Adrien was stopped once again by his father's voice. "Oh and Adrien? Please fix your friend's tie knot, it's sloppy and unworthy of someone acquainted with an Agreste."

As they sat in the limo, Nino sighed dejectedly while Adrien did, actually, fix his tie knot, if only to spare the young DJ from mean comments from Chloe. "Man, your old man is really something."

"I don't know what's the matter with him, honestly," Adrien said, sending a quick text to Marinette to let her know they were on their way. "He has been pretty adamant that attending Chloe's ball was a bad idea, something about young adults that can't be trusted."

The limousine pulled up in front of the bakery just as Alya was opening the door, stepping out into the street with a sly smile. Adrien had to agree with Nino: she was truly stunning. She was wearing a knee-length chiffon dress with a Queen Anne neckline that perfectly enhanced her fuller figure. The burnt-orange fabric formed a sash at her waist, before going down into a beautiful mermaid skirt. Her red hair had been gathered into a high ponytail sitting on the crown of her head, and she had completed her look with several silver bangles and a matching pair of peep-toes.

Before Adrien could tell Alya how lovely she looked, she eyed him smugly and stepped aside.

He forgot how to breathe.

Marinette was even more beautiful than he could've ever imagined. Her royal blue dress, still as stunning as he remembered it to be, hugged her body perfectly, in an almost indecent way despite the little amount of skin she was showing. A fine silver chain with a small onyx pendant laced her neck. Her arms were bare, and when she lifted her dress a little to see where she was depositing her foot on the step, he could see she had decided to wear black-heeled sandals that were strapped around her ankle. Her hair had been carefully braided on the side of her head before blooming into an elegant bun on the nape of her neck. A silver hairpin adorned with onyxes was pinned into said bun, shining beautifully in the black strands.

She stood in front of him for a moment, smiling nervously, before Adrien remembered how to breathe, how to speak, and his manners all at once. Lurching forward, he pressed a chaste peck on her lips, smiling at her with all the love and the adoration he could muster into a single smile. "You, Mlle Dupain-Cheng, are being incredibly selfish tonight."

She giggled against his lips, and raised a hand to cup his cheek. He leaned into her touch, smiling like a lovesick fool. "And why is that, M. Agreste?"

"Hogging all Paris's beauty to yourself isn't going to make you any friends, my love."

She chuckled lightly, her cheeks dusted in a pretty pink shade, and she let him help her into the car. The trip to the Grand Paris hotel was comfortable, Alya and Nino messing around while Marinette laid her head on Adrien's shoulder, reveling in his touch, his warmth. They had spent the night apart, and she hated to admit it out of fear of being clingy, but she had missed him. She knew things weren't that great with Gabriel currently, and if the tension they had felt between their respective fathers the day prior was anything to go by, it wasn't about to get better anytime soon.

They arrived at the hotel shortly after, which had been redecorated to fit the wishes of an overachieving mayor's daughter. At the entrance, Chloe had set up a wide array of photo booth with silly accessories for them to take funny pictures. They were ranging from various stick props such as mustaches, hats and kisses, to signs like "Teachers' pet", "Next president", "Biggest Dreamer", and so on. Next to the props lay a Polaroid camera, with a little sign that said, " _Rule: print 2 copies of each picture you take! One is yours to keep, hang the second one on the curtain."_

Turning around, Adrien saw that a curtain had been put up beside the impromptu photo booth, with strings pinned to it. Various colorful clothespins were attached to the strings, many of them already holding pictures of their smiling friends. Marinette closed the distance between them, slipping her hand into his as they peeked together at the photographs.

In one, Mylene and Ivan held fake mustaches in front of them, adorable in their matching outfits which gave strong punkish vibes. Juleka and Rose were beaming at them from another one, with fedoras on their head and fluffy fushia boas around their neck. They were wearing identical dresses, the latter in a baby pink hue while the gothic girl had chosen hers pitch black.

Surprisingly, they found a picture of Max and Sabrina smiling sweetly, holding an empty frame in front of them. They matched, their outfits in an identical shade of red and pulled straight out of the fifties. Adrien and Marinette exchanged a surprised glance, before giggling to themselves as she pointed to Kim and Alix's shot. In a short neon-green dress, the little woman was pointing a "Biggest Closet Romantic" sign toward her boyfriend, who was holding his foot in the field of the camera, proudly showcasing the sneakers that clashed horribly with his bright bow tie.

"Adrikins!" Chloe's enthusiastic voice startled them, and they left the amazing pictures alone to properly greet the woman of the day. Sporting a strapless dress with a golden bodice and a floor-length, honey-yellow tulle skirt, she had let her hair down save for a few strands tied at the back of her head with a golden comb. She was absolutely gorgeous, and Adrien opened his mouth to compliment her, but Nino somehow beat him to it.

"Woah, Chloe, you really pulled all the stops tonight."

Gaping at him for a second in sheer astonishment, the blonde eventually smirked and answered, "It's easy to be fabulous when the rough material is already amazing to begin with, Lahiffe."

Nathanael, admittedly looking handsome in his black suit accessorized with a golden vest and tie, smiled warmly at his girlfriend, looping an arm around her waist. "Now, now, can we keep the bickering for later in the evening? I'd like to have a bit of fun before having to break a catfight of some sort."

The jab was good-hearted, as were the laughs that welcomed it. He did get his wish, because they ended up having a lot of fun through the evening. They took a lot of silly pictures, Alya carefully tucking their copies away to print some more for everyone. They talked, they danced, they ate. Kim and Alix seemed to be running some sort of bet (again), Max and Sabrina were talking quietly in a corner, with a lot of blushing involved. Juleka, Rose, Ivan and Mylene were dancing together, giggling every time either of them did a silly step. Students from other classes had shown up as well, and seemed to enjoy themselves, meaning Chloe was in a particularly good mood.

The music eventually shifted to a more languid song, something slower and more romantic, and if anyone doubted the clear intent behind the sudden change of atmosphere, the way the lights were noticeably dimmed shortly after made it crystal clear. Grinning, Adrien deposited his drink on a nearby table and held his hand out to his girlfriend. "Can I have this dance, Princess?"

Her eyes widened as she squealed out, "Adrien, I can't dance, I have two left feet, and you know this very well."

There was a hint of panic in her words, and Adrien found himself falling in love with her all over again. There seemed to be a lot of this, that night. "Just follow my steps, princess. You'll be fine, I won't let it be otherwise." His words seemed to soothe her, enough for her to take the hand he was offering her and letting him lead her to the crowded dancefloor. For the first time in his life, Adrien was grateful for the insufferable dance lessons his father had forced him to take. He guided her hand to her shoulder, still smiling at her softly, and positioned his on her waist. Taking her other hand into his, he winked at her reassuringly and took the first step of a very traditional waltz.

As they glided together effortlessly on the dance floor, Marinette flowed with his steps with an ease that came from years of trust and partnership, reading his movements and adjusting her own with delicate finesse. He forgot about everything else. Forgot about the rogue akuma still lurking somewhere in the shadow. Forgot about his father's strange behavior. Forgot about heroic duties and universities. Everything vanished from his mind, except for the woman loved in his arms, looking at him with her beautiful blue eyes full of tenderness. Leaning in, he pressed a soft kiss against her forehead, whispering against her skin, "Have I told you already how much I love you?"

"I love you too, Adrien. Very much," Marinette breathed in answer, resting her head on his shoulder as she closed her eyes and let him lead their steps once again. Their waltzing had shifted into something less professional, less planned. Adrien's hand on the small of her back held her close to him, and he clasped her hand in his other to hold it to his chest and play with her fingers. Every now and then, he'd lift her hand to his lips and place a gentle kiss against her skin. Cradled in his arms, Marinette felt a strong sense of contentment as she snuggled closer. Her ear to his chest, she could make out the faint rumble of Adrien's purr as he rested his cheek against the hair of the woman he loved with all his heart, body and soul.

Unbeknownst to the dancing pair, their little show of affection had brought a lot of stares. Their classmates were watching them with fond smiles, appreciating the sight of their friends looking very much in love and peaceful after all they had been through recently. Graduates of other classes were watching them dancing with a wide array of reactions. Some thought the young couple was adorable, others thought it annoying that they were hogging the dance floor.

And some others were just plain jealous of the obvious strength of their bond.

"Why can't you be more like Adrien Agreste?" pouted a student from another class to her boyfriend, crossing her arms in front of her. He had refused to dance with her all evening, stating that he hated the music, and had therefore left his girlfriend brooding as she sat at their table, watching all the other girls having fun with their dates or by themselves. Needless to say, the way Marinette and Adrien were gracefully waltzing together, staring at each other with so much love, so much longing in their eyes, was merely adding salt to the wound.

Her boyfriend scoffed, not even bothering looking at her. "And why can't you be less of a drama queen? I told you beforehand that I wasn't going to dance, and you chose to come anyway. If M. Fancypants over there is some kind of professional dancer, why don't you go dance with him?"

Choking on an outraged sob, the poor girl stormed out of the room, leaving her groaning date behind. He sighed, gathering their belongings and getting ready for yet another screaming match and guilt trip, something that tended to happen every time she didn't get her way.

He didn't notice the purplish butterfly following her.


	44. Chapter 44: Dancing Queen

"Are you falling asleep on my shoulder, Princess?" Adrien's tone was teasing, yet gentle. His fingers were still drawing lazy circles on her hip, his other hand benevolently holding hers on his chest and stroking her fingers with an expression of sheer awe on his face. Marinette sighed contentedly against the fabric of his suit, nuzzling her nose in the crook of his neck.

"I'm just really, really happy right now," she whispered just loud enough to be heard of him above the gentle cheesy love song playing. Adrien lightly squeezed her fingers lingering on his heart in answer and pressed yet another soft kiss on her forehead, eliciting a quiet giggle from her.

"I'm really happy too, Marinette," he said, tightening his hold around her waist longingly. They were barely even dancing anymore, instead basking in each other's embrace, in each other's warmth. "This is perfect," he breathed against her skin, "Being here, with the woman of my dreams, dancing the night away, I couldn't dream of a more perfect moment…"

Marinette beamed at him, her eyes sparkling with love and adoration. She let go of his hand to snake her arms around his neck and rest her forehead against his. "Hush, silly kitty, you're going to jinx it."

"Not when I have my very own lucky charm with me," he chuckled, leaning in with half-lidded eyes. The young woman laughed and rose up on her tiptoes, meeting him halfway into what should have been a sweet and gentle kiss between two young people hopelessly in love with each other.

What should have been, if all too familiar screams hadn't startled them out of their little private bubble, breaking the charm and bringing them back to an unpleasant reality where supervillains were still a thing, and superhero responsibilities still beckoned upon them. Marinette and Adrien groaned simultaneously as they regretfully broke apart from each other. Couldn't they have just one single evening free of fights and drama?

Adrien held his hand out to her, a sorry smile dancing on his lips. "I'm sorry, Princess. My infamous bad luck finally caught up with us it'd seem."

She slid her hand into his, grinning at him reassuringly, "Don't worry, the night's not over yet. Let's take care of this as quick as we can."

"Lead the way, my Lady."

Hand in hand, they broke into a sprint, heading for the exit of the hotel and away from the screams and commotion caused by what was probably an akuma. Their momentum was halted before they were even halfway across the room as the double door of the ballroom crashed violently open.

On the threshold stood tall a lean lady, clad in a searingly crimson ballroom dancing dress. Perched on a dangerously high pair of scarlet heels, her black mane was slicked into a tight bun without a single hair out of place. She clicked her tongue disapprovingly as she scanned the now very still room with icy dark eyes.

"Why aren't you all dancing?" she snarled, pointing a perfectly manicured hand toward a bunch of students. With loud pitiful yelps, they all started to undulate to the music, executing near professional steps with a level of skill and grace that didn't match their terrified and hopeless expressions.

Adrien and Marinette ducked behind a table in perfect sync, just in time to get out of sight of the akuma who squinted her eyes in their general direction. "Now that's settled, where's Adrien Agreste? I'm the Dancing Queen, and the Queen deserves nothing short of the best dancer as her eternal partner."

Dancing Queen started to walk slowly toward them, long ribbons floating in a non-existent breeze in her wake, forging other rather odd dancing pairs as she progressed at an unsettling pace through the room. In any other circumstances, Adrien would've been delighted by the uncanny and hilarious sight of Mr. Damocles breaking into a near-perfect salsa with Mme Mendeleiev as an impromptu partner, while Mlle Bustier was caught into a breathtaking tango with Max. Merely even a few feet away from where he and Marinette hid, Ivan and Kim were unsuccessfully trying to figure out how to stop their frenetic foxtrot with matching utterly panicked faces.

The akuma was getting dangerously close, and when Adrien's eyes met Marinette's, he read similar worries in her gaze. "This is bad," he half-mouthed, half-whispered to her, anxiously scanning their surroundings for an idea, an escape, anything that could get them out of their predicament, to no avail. She nodded, an uncomfortable lump in her throat. If Dancing Queen was after him, they couldn't possibly stay there. They had to leave the room as soon as possible, and get Adrien out of her reach, whatever it was he had unknowingly done to beckon the akuma's affections upon him. But how could they escape the premise without bringing desperately unwanted attention upon them and derailing the plan they hadn't thought of yet before they could even set it in motion?

As Adrien was contemplating their less than appealing options, trying to choose the lesser of two evils of either deflecting the akuma's attention as his civilian self to give Marinette an opportunity of slipping out to safety, or making a mad dash to the front door together and hope for the better, something small hit him in the back of his head. Startled, he spun around, still crouched behind the table, his eyes warily searching the source of the attack.

Never in his life would've he expected to see Chloe, out of all people, urgently beckoning them to a half-closed, half-concealed door. Figuring she was their only chance considering how bad things were, Adrien nodded briefly toward her and gently nudged Marinette, tilting his head in the door's direction. He saw his girlfriend's eyes widening briefly when she understood what was happening, but a Ladybug's steel-like resolve almost immediately washed over the surprise, and she nodded in turn, following his lead.

Carefully crawling toward his childhood friend, Adrien made sure that they were still out of Dancing Queen's line of sight. The villain was still busy making dancing pairs, ranting about how hard it was to find a worthy dancing partner and asking each and every of her victim if they had seen the Agreste heir.

After a painstakingly long moment that felt like an eternity, Marinette and he both reached Chloe. Without skipping a beat, the blonde yanked them through the door and wordlessly slammed it shut behind them, hastily locking it. She sighed in relief, resting her forehead on the panel. "I honestly thought you'd never make it. This is getting ugly out there, I don't think I'll ever overcome the trauma of witnessing Jagged Stone tangoing with XY, and I don't even want to know where that rose came from!"

Chloe turned around, carefully scanning their surroundings to ensure they were still safe. "Take the elevator," she said, urgency dripping in her voice, "and suit up in my suite. You should be able to come back through the front door without too much hassle. She's busy searching for you, Adrien, I highly doubt she'll go anywhere."

The uncanny lack of response from either young heroes prompted Chloe to look back at her friends, and a satisfied smirk stretched her lips. "What? Shocked I figured you out?"

Marinette, bewildered, was the first to somehow regain the ability to speak, even if she was still staring at the blonde like she had just grown another head. "But … how?"

Chloe chuckled, shaking her head disbelievingly. "Honestly? The real question would be how nobody else pieced it together yet. That kiss picture was very obviously legit, and I know Adrien like the back of my hand. He is so disgustingly in love with you, Marinette, that he wouldn't even dream of cheating on you in this lifetime or the next. Connecting the dots from there was childishly easy."

Adrien only gaped at her, while Marinette's brain seemingly kicked into second gear. "Chloe, no one can know about this, you being in on the secret could put you in dire danger and—"

"I won't tell a soul," Chloe cut her off dismissively, "Now you both need to go and save Paris once again, I've got your backs."

"What are you going to do?" Marinette asked, her heart caught somewhere in her throat.

Chloe grinned, waving her off hastily. "I'm going to distract this baddie until you two make your long overdue heroic entrance. Stop stalling and go!"

Against her best judgment, Marinette nodded and grabbed Adrien by the hand, dragging him toward the elevator. The ride to the highest floor was spent in a tensed silence, both of them more than eager to regain control over the situation.

Kwamis were summoned without further ceremony as soon as they crossed Chloe's bedroom threshold, a sense of urgency washing over them both. Once they were both suited up, Ladybug and Chat Noir slipped onto the balcony and dropped into the street a few stories below, both of them trying to assess the damage that had already been done. As far as they could tell, Dancing Queen was still inside the hotel, her evil cackles reaching their ears as she teased the mayor's daughter about trying to outsmart her. The heroes crouched on each side of the front door, thankful that Chloe had granted them the advantage of surprise, and they were set on using it well.

Their eyes met for a second, and Ladybug briefly nodded, her lips tightened in a determined line. Their luck was already stretched and quickly reaching breaking point, as were their friends from dancing against their will. In one swift motion, Chat Noir extended his staff and the hotel's door swung back open with a loud bang. Dancing Queen spun on her heels, releasing an out-of-breath Chloe, and faced the superheroic duo, narrowing her eyes at them menacingly. "Ladybug! Chat Noir! How kind of you to join us at last!"

Chat Noir chuckled lowly, his eyes shining mischievously, "Stop _dancing_ around the issue, and surrender before it's too late. You won't be able to _out rhythm_ us."

The fight that ensued was messy and confusing. The akuma kept targeting the heroes again and again, while Ladybug and Chat Noir expertly avoided the incessant flow of attacks, swirling, running, jumping, vaulting themselves and all but dancing around the villain. They were a mere blur of black and red twirling around the akuma, deflecting without a hitch every single blow shot their way.

Up until Chat Noir slipped.

His foot landed slightly too much on his side, and he ended up splayed on the concrete, whimpering pitifully and ripping a strangled cry from Ladybug's throat. Dancing Queen lifted him from the ground effortlessly, a mean smile playing on her lips. "I always liked that movie, _Cats don't dance_. Care to show me if they got it wrong, kitty cat?"

The leather-clad hero's eyes widened in fear, and the villain raised a hand toward him, wiggling her fingers threateningly. For a split second, Chat Noir noticed the bracelet on her wrist shine a familiar shade of purple. He reached forward, his claws brushing against the metal for a single heartbeat, before he lost all control upon his limbs. Obeying an imaginary music, his feet broke into a familiar pattern, well-rehearsed waltz steps leading him to his partner against his will, grabbing her by the waist and dragging her along in his misery. The unexpected movement broke her concentration and made her hesitate, creating the perfect target for Dancing Queen. The next thing Ladybug knew, the magic was bleeding into her, her limbs desperately obeying it.

As they glided together on the street gracefully, just like they had done a few moments prior before all hell broke loose, Ladybug cast a nervous glance to her partner, making it clear that she had no more control on their predicament than him, "Chaton, as nice as this is, we can't spend the evening ballroom dancing. We have an akuma to catch, we have to break the spell somehow."

Grinning at her, Chat Noir brought her into a low dip, purring in her ear, "Just follow my steps, princess. You'll be fine, I won't let it be otherwise."

She smiled, her trust in him bleeding in their steps. "Any clue about where's the akuma hiding?"

"I'm pretty sure I saw her bracelet glisten earlier," he whispered in her ear before spinning her around him gracefully.

Ladybug swirled back in his arms, pausing mid-tempo against his chest to answer bashfully, "Let's get it then, silly kitty."

"Let's tango, my Lady."

At these words, it was like their feet and arms were animated by a new will, a new fire. Step after step, they erased the distance between them and the akuma before the villain could even comprehend what was happening. Chat Noir grabbed his partner by the waist and spun her around him effortlessly. Ladybug stretched her body elegantly in the air, reaching forward and ripping the jewel from the akuma's wrist.

Two steps later, the object was broken, the butterfly released and cured. The imaginary music halted and their frantic dancing feet finally came to a stop. Pulling Ladybug into a relieved hug, the feline hero breathed softly against her hair, "Pound it, my lady."

As soon as Chat Noir lifted his hand for their usual fist bump, a loud crack resonated in the street, followed by an evil cackle. "Not so fast, alley cat."


	45. Chapter 45: Cosmaniak

Both Chat Noir and Ladybug froze mid-action, fists halted in the air, Ladybug's horrified gasp perfectly mirroring her partner's shock.

The voice interrupting their customary celebration was distorted, somewhat akin to static. The exclamations of the crowd massed on either side of the street quickly got rid of the faint hope that the superheroes were having hallucinations. In the middle of the pavement, about a hundred meters from where they were stunned into silence, stood their next foe.

Almost as tall as the three-story building she stood beside, the woman had her feet slightly apart and her hands on her hips. She oozed power, control, from every single pore of her eerily pale skin. Her entire torso was encased in a purple gem encrusted, metallic corset. It curled all the way up to her to her throat, which was encircled with even more gems. Her striking platinum hair was tied in a complicated braid with more metallic accents peeking from it. Wide silver wrist cuffs were clasped around her forearms, and her skirt, beginning at the bottom edge of the corset, pitch black with thousands of little white gems embroidered in it, flowed behind her like a starry sky to reveal slender legs. She wore slick black leather, thigh-high boots, enhanced with silver details and three-inches high stiletto heels. Seemingly taken straight from the French Revolution, a black and silver ruff was tied to the top of the corset, adding to the overall weirdness of her appearance. A small locket was resting between her breasts, the dark metal startlingly contrasting on the snow of her skin.

A vile, sly smirk stretched her crimson lips, and she spoke again with the same distorted voice, "Hand over your miraculouses, Ladybug and Chat Noir, and there won't be any damage done to your precious little civilians."

Ladybug stepped forward with a scowl, but her partner grabbed her wrist, an unreadable expression on his face. This was a first, an unsettling first: there had never been two akumas in a row before, and this one looked like she had just stepped straight out of a science-fiction movie from the nineties. He didn't like it, and he was terrified that this was it, that the last rogue akuma had finally made its long overdue appearance with the worst possible timing. Ladybug and he were both tired from the previous fight. "You can go back to your master, and tell him we'll never give up on our miraculouses. We'll keep fighting until we defeat him."

Their newest foe shook her head with a weird smile. "Sorry, kitten, but that's not what's written in the stars. You see, when Hawkmoth made me Cosmaniak, he also made me an offer so good that I couldn't refuse. With your magical jewels, he'll be able to claim my daughter from the stars. Nothing will stop me from bringing my baby back. But, because I'm in a good mood, I'm giving you one last chance to surrender: relinquish your magic, and nobody's getting hurt."

Ladybug and Chat Noir's eyes met for a heartbeat, carrying an understanding born from years of fighting alongside each other. Chat Noir's fears were completely valid, if the obsession with the stars and the weird sci-fi get up of the new villain was anything to go by. When he had battled that akuma on his own the first time around, he had merely had to dodge shooting stars, but who knows what this one had in store for them? The butterfly had had an awfully long time to empower itself, and considering how badly things had ended with DreamWeaver, the outcome of this wasn't looking that bright for them. Ladybug gulped painfully, trying to suppress the worries stifling her, and held her head high. "You heard Chat. We'll never let people of Paris down. We've been fighting for their safety for years now, and we'll fight until Hawkmoth's demise."

"Very well." Cosmaniak lifted her foot, the same mad smile spread wide on her face, and brought it down harshly. Upon making contact with the concrete, a purple circle spread widely around her imprint and the ground opened in a gaping hole beneath her, revealing a gurgling black and starry unknown matter. The nearest building collapsed, chunks of it sucked into the opening along with pieces of the street.

The crowd erupted in a mess of hysteric screams and everything went blurry. On each side of what had previously been a street, civilians tugged and shoved each other, trying to put as much distance as they could between them and the black hole opened in the middle of the street. Ladybug watched for a second, dismayed, as the people she had vowed to protect broke into pandemonium.

A gentle nudge from her partner brought her back to her senses, and she sparked into superheroine mode. "Chat, do whatever it takes to get the civilians to safety. We can't risk anyone falling into this. I'll keep her occupied."

The feline nodded, his lips stretched into a determined line. Using his staff, he vaulted over the unsettling threat and quickly hurried the terrified citizens out of the danger zone. His sudden appearance by their side seemed to tone down the hysterics, bringing a slight sense of order through the ambient chaos.

It all happened in a heartbeat. One second he was watching over a child and his mother scurrying to safety, the next his eyes were desperately glued to Alya, still clad in her ball dress and impossibly high heels.

Alya running toward the action as usual, instead of staying out of danger.

Alya tripping on her impractical shoes, flailing fearfully to regain her balance.

A panicked civilian passing nearby, unwillingly shoving the young woman aside in his run to safe grounds.

Alya falling.

Her head hit the concrete with a loud thud then her limp body dropped straight into the Seine.

His heart jumped into his throat as he spurred into motion. His previous assignment all forgotten, Chat Noir vaulted himself to the edge of the water, his enhanced sight and hearing frantically searching for his friend. Catching a glimpse of burnt-orange disappearing below the surface, he dived in.

The cold water bit his skin through the fabric of his magical suit, and he felt like all the air had been sucked out of his lungs. Down, down, down, into the murky water, he desperately forced his arms and legs to propel him closer and closer to his sinking friend.

His vision grew blurry, but he refused to give up. He had to catch her, he had to save her, if not for himself then for Marinette. He loved the blogger dearly, but Marinette would be lost without her best friend. And Nino. Nino, who was deeply in love with her, Nino who had their future all planned out already.

Chat Noir ignored the pain burning in his lungs, ignored the throbbing heartbeat in his skull. He swam toward the patch of orange in front of him and stretched his arm with something akin to desperation. His fingers grasped onto something soft and he pulled it toward his chest, clinging to it as if his life depended on it, then began the arduous trek toward the surface.

He broke the surface with a gasp, cradling the precious bundle to his chest. A paramedic team, who had seen the whole scene unfold, rushed forward to help the hero out of the water and immediately took the unconscious Alya in charge. With a painful lump in his throat, Chat Noir tried to forget how lifeless the young woman had felt in his arms, how grayish her complexion has seemed to him.

A loud crash reminded him with a start that he still had an akuma to defeat. Grabbing his staff, he sighed through clenched teeth, "She hit her head pretty hard when she fell, please check for a concussion or internal bleeding. Please, please do anything you can to save her."

The paramedic nodded reassuringly, "Don't worry Chat Noir, we got this. Ladybug needs you now."

For the very first time ever since receiving his miraculous, rushing to his partner's side to help her defeat a supervillain felt like letting her down.

He landed beside her on a rooftop, falling into her steps easily as they both ran, trying to get a better sight of Cosmaniak who had just vanished into a yellow and gray mist. Ladybug cast him a side-glanced and gasped, astonished, "What the heck happened to you? Why are you dripping wet?"

Still caught up in the previous tragic events, he only managed to choke out rather dryly, "Later."

His harshness startled her, but Ladybug chose to brush it off and focus on finding the elusive akuma instead.

Cosmaniak finally materialized back on top of the Arc de Triomphe, a vague and ethereal silhouette standing proud, made out of yellow and grayish fumes. Raising both hands toward the sky, she cried out, "By Saturn!" With a loud crack, miniature Saturn-esque rings appeared around her wrists, and she smiled at the out-of-breath heroes that had just arrived on the premises. "Still intent on meeting an early death, younglings?"

"You're going to pay for this," Chat Noir snarled through clenched teeth, raising his staff and extending it in a desperate attempt to close the distance between them.

With an evil cackle, the akuma spun around, and the rings flew from her hands, instantly targeting both heroes. They jumped out of the way easily, only to witness the deadly weapons cut into the concrete behind them as effortlessly as if it had been made out of butter. Horrified, they both realized they had come close to an early demise, and Cosmaniak let out an unsettling laugh before disappearing in a cloud of sparkles.

Chat Noir spun on his heels, his heart caught in his throat. "My lady? Where is she?"

"I don't know, Chat, that's what she does. Attack, then vanish," she answered, obviously just as unsure as he was. Right on cue, a violent gust of wind knocked them both off their feet, almost sending them barreling down the roof, their fingers gripping on the shambles in a desperate attempt to save themselves from crashing on the concrete three stories below.

"Mars, lend me your strength!" Cosmaniak howled, now an ominous shade of red from head to toe, directing her powerful winds toward both heroes. To Ladybug's sheer astonishment, when Chat Noir managed to get back on his feet and vault himself out of the incoming flow of air, there was a weird delay before Cosmaniak moved away from his reach yet again.

For an akuma so intent on being elusive and keep her distances at all costs, seeing her linger like that was more than odd. Ladybug stared for a second, as Cosmaniak's boots seemed to be glued to the concrete for a few heartbeats. She was so caught up in her discovery that she almost didn't notice the akuma shapeshift again, going ablaze in a giant ball of fire.

Hopefully, Chat Noir was still entirely focused on the fight, and he leaped forward, making them both tumbling out of the way of giant tongues of fire coming their way, leeching the concrete menacingly. Ladybug snapped back to her senses just in time to see her partner wince in pain. Horrified, she noticed the fire retreating from his arms, eating through the magical material of his suit and right into the skin of his forearms. "Chat!" she croaked out, horrified.

He shook his head with a dry laugh, "I'll be fine, it's just a sunburn. Nothing a little aloe won't fix, Bugaboo."

Before Ladybug could muster an answer to his untimely jokes, Cosmaniak marched toward the young heroes, her dress floating behind her ominously. "Give up already, mangy cat. Nothing you tried so far even came close to me. I'm powerful enough to get through your armors, while you can't even reach me."

Cautiously sitting up, Chat Noir tried to assess the extent of the burn on both of his arms, looking at the villain with venom dripping from every word, "I'll fight till my dying breath."

"So be it."

Just as Ladybug reached for him, Cosmaniak disappeared once more, rematerializing right next to them. "Neptune, grant me your power." With a vicious smirk, the ethereal being, now a profound blue shade, brought her feet down on the ground. The ground in a thirty-foot radius from her iced-over and the air temperature plummeted.

Chat Noir slipped on the ice as he tried to get up again, sprawling on the concrete with a defeated grunt, Ladybug landing on top of him. He held his injured arm, groaning impatiently, "This is stupid. We've been at it for hours and we've still done nothing."

His partner laboriously pulled herself to her feet, rubbing the back of her head. "Maybe so, but I've got an idea." Before she could elaborate, yet another black hole opened beneath her feet, and soon she felt herself falling. Her heart caught somewhere in her throat, and she whimpered pitifully as she helplessly slid toward the threat, "Chat!"

Thankfully, Chat Noir had been close enough to react on time and he spurred into motion. Her partner hastily stuck his staff onto the nearest building and grasped on her wrist at the last possible second, catching her mid-flight. Shaking with relief, he pulled her flush to his chest, resting his forehead on hers as he tried to process how impossibly close he had come to losing her. She locked her arms around his neck, pausing for a second as they watched together, hopeless, Cosmaniak dematerialize once more in front of them with an evil cackle.

Nestled within his arms, Ladybug sighed, "Every time she does that, her locket shines, and she stops moving for a few seconds. At first I thought it was a coincidence, but the pattern has repeated every single time she teleports."

He smiled against her hair, trying to ease the helpless feeling rising up in his chest, "So, all we have to do is figure out a way to teleport to her when she does, and we'll finally be able to defeat her."

"Oh, but you will teleport me, my silly kitty."

Following her gaze, Chat Noir gulped and stared at her, dumbfounded. "You can't be serious." When she nodded, with that smug smile she always harbored when she was confident in her plan, he let go of her to gently shake her shoulders, "No. No. No. Not gonna happen. Over my dead body, Bug."

"If she keeps this up, it's going to be over both of our dead bodies, kitty. Do you have a better idea?"

He hated to admit it, but her plan was brilliant. Risky, demented, completely reckless, but it could work. And no, he didn't have anything better to offer. So, reluctantly, Chat Noir found himself nodding slowly, trying to repress the bile rising in his throat.

Summoning as much Ladybug confidence as she could, the superheroine called for her lucky charm, turning to her partner with a wide grin as she held the fishing net high. "See? Even the magic agrees with my idea. Let's do this, Minou, I only have five minutes left now."

That's how, mere seconds later, Chat Noir found himself at the feet of the Eiffel Tower. He waited, restless, for the signal that would come all too soon. Perched at the top of the Parisian landmark, yoyo waiting in case anything went sour, Ladybug was ready to pounce, the net safely clutched into her hands.

Predictably, Cosmaniak reappeared on the other side of the Seine with a satisfied smirk on her face, both of her hands resting comfortably on her hips in a defiant attitude. "How are you going to reach me in time, meaningless bug?"

"Chat, NOW!"

The leather-clad hero suppressed his worries for his girlfriend's safety and shouted as confidently as he could, "CATACLYSM!" As soon as his hand came in contact with the cold metal of the tower, he knew that this was it. There was no going back now. The monument creaked, and began to tip over with a sinister sound. As he had calculated, the tower fell straight across the Seine, bringing the woman he loved and insane partner with it toward the crazed villain. Cosmaniak's eyes widened as she understood what they had had the forwardness to do, but having just materialized back, she was unable to avoid her impending fate. As soon as she was close enough to her foe, Ladybug promptly leaped on her with the net ready, effectively impairing her movements further.

Reaching forward before Cosmaniak could teleport again, Ladybug grabbed the locket dangling from her neck and shattered it on the ground. With a relieved sigh, she cured the butterfly, double checking that it was sparkling white this time around. Chat Noir landed beside her just as she was releasing her cleansing spell, and she all but collapsed into his now fully healed arms, completely exhausted.

This had been by far the most tiring and taxing fight they had gone through, but they made it. Together, as a team, as they were meant to be, they made it.

His unusual silence pulled her out of her own relieved thoughts, and she ultimately tore herself away from him, searching his face expectantly. "Everything's alright, kitty?"

He didn't answer, and her gaze followed his, trying to figure out what was upsetting him like that.

Her eyes landed on an ambulance, in which an occupied gurney was being loaded.


	46. Chapter 46: At Noon

Dread instantly filled Ladybug's stomach. Instead of the elated feeling that she usually felt upon defeating an akuma, all she felt was an uncomfortable apprehension. Her heart leaped into her throat, and she found her eyes scanning her partner's arms, frantically searching for remnants of his burns. "Chat, are you okay? What—Why is there an ambulance? What happened? Who—Who's on that gurney, Chat?"

Tears pricked at the green eyes, and he painfully gulped. Recalling his sudden appearance beside her early in the fight, wet from head to toe, Ladybug clung to his arms, going mad with worry as she remembered her own plunge into a fountain, "Chat. Who did you jump into the Seine for?"

"Alya."

Four little letters. A single word, that hit her like a freight train. All the air in her lungs was knocked out of her chest, and her fingers dug into his arms as panic washed over her. "What? Let me see her! I need to see her!" she begged, tears spilling over her mask.

Chat Noir didn't relinquish his hold on his partner, instead tightening his grip on her wrists. He had fully expected her to break down like this, but that didn't make being in the first seat to witness her pain any easier. He pressed a loving kiss on her forehead and whispered, his own voice hoarse with emotion, "You'll give your identity away, Bug. You only have a minute left."

She choked back on a pitiful sob, but melted against his chest nonetheless, seeking comfort in his familiar warmth and nodding numbly. He took that as his cue, securing his free arm around her waist and vaulting them away from sight, the late hour undoubtedly easing their escape. Her transformation failed about two rooftops later, leaving her shivering in her gorgeous gown within his arms, and his own miraculous beeped for the fourth time a few seconds later. He assured his hold on her and dropped into the alley below them. Depositing her carefully on the ground, he cupped her cheek tenderly and raised her chin toward him as he was engulfed into a bright green light. "Mari, talk to me."

She sniffed against his dress shirt, her fingers tangled tight in the damp fabric, "What happened? Why did my cure fail her but not you?"

Adrien sighed, removing his suit jacket before draping it around her shoulders. He wrapped his arms tight around her and nuzzling his nose in her hair. "Stop blaming yourself. It's not your fault. In the commotion that followed the first black hole, she got pushed into the Seine by a bystander. I…" he trailed off, perfectly aware that she wouldn't like what was going to follow. "I saw her fall and jumped right after her, but she hit her head on the concrete pretty hard. She was unconscious when I handed her to the paramedics."

"Why did you keep it from me?" The hurt was obvious in her voice, even if she didn't lift her head.

Fumbling in his pocket searching for his phone, Adrien pressed a single kiss on her temple. "Because I love you." He powered on the device without letting her away from his grip, dialing Natalie's number, "I couldn't risk you being unfocused all fight, Mari, especially in a fight that promised to be this hard. You could've ended up injured, or worse. Evening, Natalie," he spoke into his phone, "could you send the driver to pick Marinette and me up? A friend of ours got hurt into tonight's attacks, and we'd like to see her. Could you find out in which hospital she was admitted?" A pause. "Alya Césaire. Yes, Mari's best friend." Another pause, which he took to intertwine his finger with hers. "No, neither of us got injured. I know that this is past midnight, but Marinette is going mad with worry here." He smiled at her reassuringly, his wordless message crystal clear: if the Gorilla didn't take them there, Chat Noir would. "Great, we'll wait for him, Natalie. Thanks."

Adrien put his phone back in his pocket, pressing a kiss on her cheek. "The Gorilla is on his way. We'll be by her side in no time, okay Mari?"

She nodded weakly, tears silently rolling down her cheeks.

As soon as the town car pulled over, Adrien gently pushed her inside it and promptly raised the privacy screen, allowing his girlfriend to curl up against his side. He wrapped his arms around her again, "Everything's going to be fine, Princess. We'll see to it."

"I don't understand, Adrien. Why? Why has the cure failed her? It healed you, it repaired the Tower. Why not her?" Her voice was subdued, weakened by all her crying.

In her lap, Tikki and Plagg were cuddling, obviously exhausted by the amount of energy they had had to give their charges. The former stirred lazily, cracking an eye opened. "You know why, Mari. Alya's fall was neither the result of the akuma's actions nor of your attempts to stop it or your heroic feats. Same reason you stayed drenched when Adrien shoved you in that fountain."

It made sense. It had made sense then, and it still made sense. They both knew it. Otherwise _everything_ that happened during an akuma fight would be canceled by the cure.

But it didn't hurt any less.

* * *

The car pulled in front of the hospital shortly before one a.m., and Marinette all but bolted out of it, rushing inside the tall building with her heels in her hands. His own worries clutching his insides, Adrien explained the situation to his driver and assured him that he would call him back as soon as they'd be ready to go home.

Dread weighing down his feet, he followed her through the revolving doors, afraid of what he would find on the other side.

Predictably, the sight that welcomed him was anything but happy. Marinette was sobbing quietly in Nino's arms, while Alya's parents were pacing back and forth in the waiting area. When he closed the distance between them, his best friend gently tugged on the upset young woman to tear her from his arms, which Adrien took as his cue to cradle her back in his. Taking in their despair, he gulped painfully, he eyed Nino carefully, "That bad?"

The young man nodded, distractedly watching Marinette clutching at Adrien's shirt with desperation. "They've got her on an IV drip and are monitoring her closely because of the contaminated water she inhaled, but she definitely has a concussion. We just don't know how bad it is."

"But… She'll be okay?"

At that, Nino's barely maintained composure faltered. "That's… That's the thing. We don't know for sure how long her brain lacked oxygen. According to the paramedics, Chat Noir got her out of the water within five minutes of her fall, but five minutes is more than enough to do some real, lasting damage."

Tears were rolling down his friend's face, and Adrien fought the urge to beg for his forgiveness. He should have been closer when Alya had tripped, he should have swam faster, should have been there for her. Now, she was stuck somewhere between life and death, and there was nothing he could do to save her anymore.

Marinette's thoughts were following a similar path, but instead of regret and guilt, it was pure rage that poured in her veins. With a sudden sob of pain, Marinette tore free of Adrien and broke into a sprint. She made a mad dash down the corridor and slid around the corner. Left stunned for a split second in her wake, Adrien stuttered a weak apology to his best friend before running after her, his heart running wild with worry.

Barely even two blocks away from the hospital, a familiar bright pink flash gave away her exact position to him. A short nod to Plagg was enough to convey his intentions, and mere seconds later, Chat Noir was running across Parisians rooftops, obviously chasing after his lady. Their impromptu game of cat and mouse ended atop of the TVi studios, where he found her fumbling desperately with the emergency exit outdoor latch.

"What are you doing, Bugaboo? It's almost two a.m.," he tried, closing the distance between them as cautiously as he was approaching a frightened wild animal. Ladybug froze, lifting a haunted gaze toward him.

Her fingers continued searching for a fault in the lock as she muttered, her voice eerily calm and composed, "We did it with Reflekta. I have a message to get to Hawkmoth, and I have to get it now before I lose my mind."

Chat Noir tightened his fists on his sides, and for a second, Ladybug thought that she had pushed her partner too far. But the leather-clad hero crouched beside her and smiled at her warmly. "Let's do things right then, and take the front door."

That's how both heroes found themselves marching in TVi's studios in the dead of night, demanding to go live right this second. Something in their dead serious expression discouraged any argumenting, and mere minutes and several frantic phone calls later, a technician from the skeleton-staff gave them a thumbs up, indicating it was safe to begin. Chat Noir nodded at her, and Ladybug crossed her arms in front of her in a defiant posture, willing herself to say the words she needed to say without stuttering on any word. She looked at her partner, the man she loved above anything else, and upon receiving an encouraging smile, she began talking.

"Hawkmoth, listen carefully, 'cause I'm only going to say this once.

"For almost five years now, Chat Noir and I have fought the crazed results of your sick imagination on a weekly basis.

"For almost five years, we have been dealing with the consequences of your inflated ego and your foolish quest for our miraculouses.

"This nonsense comes to an end _now._ " Getting the gist of where she was headed, Chat Noir stepped into the field of the camera, snaking an arm around her shoulders, his never faltering support bleeding even in the most public messes. Ladybug cast him a grateful smile before carrying on, "This has been going on for way too long already. Tonight, an innocent civilian has been hurt in the commotion that followed the apparition of Cosmaniak. Thanks to Chat Noir, the worst has been avoided, but this draws a line I'm not willing to cross."

The spotted heroine looked away from the camera, seeking reassurance in the eyes of said leather-clad partner. When her partner only snuggled closer to her and spoke again, both of them were beyond emotional.

"If you want our miraculouses that bad, stop hiding behind minions like a coward, stop sending innocents to do your dirty job on your behalf. At noon, I will be ready to affront you, Hawkmoth. I'll wait for you on the second platform of the Eiffel Tower."

Chat Noir took her little hand into his, squeezing her fingers in a comforting manner before adding, confidence oozing in every single word he said, " _We_ will be ready to fight for what we believe is right, ergo _not_ surrendering our miraculouses without at the very least putting up a fight. At noon, Hawkmoth, we'll be there, as the unbreakable team you have yet to defeat even once. Paris's citizens, please, please remain in your houses until either us or the authorities says it's safe to do otherwise. We are also asking law enforcements to trust us on this, and to wait until either us or Hawkmoth calls for backup to intervene."

Ladybug smiled at her boyfriend, his unwavering support moving her way beyond what she could admit. Looking back at the camera, she assured, her hand never leaving Chat's, "At noon, this masquerade will finally be over."

A pause, a faint smile, and both heroes vanished from the camera field, Chat Noir using his staff to vault himself over to the electronic device and Ladybug tying her yoyo somewhere on the ceiling.

Seconds later, the screen went black.

* * *

Elsewhere in Paris, Sabine Cheng turned off her television hastily, her heart constricted with worry for her precious daughter. "Tom!" she cried out, barely able to keep herself together.

Her husband hugged her close, and sighed in her hair. "I heard. I'll go put up the "Closed" sign. We'll support our children, no matter what."


	47. Chapter 47: Keepsakes

_Great news folks! I kinda challenged myself to finish writing this story before June 12th, therefore spamming my poor beta! She's a real sweetheart though, and keeps up with my madness. So you can expect A LOT of updates in the upcoming weeks._

 _Keep in mind that comments/reviews make this writer happy, and a happy writer will be more keen to post often!_

* * *

Moments later, Chat Noir and Ladybug landed in a deserted alleyway just as a bright green light engulfed the former, releasing his transformation. Instantly, the spotted heroine dropped hers and fell into his arms, quietly sobbing into the crook of his neck. Gently rubbing her back in small, comforting circles, Adrien whispered against her hair, "It's almost two thirty in the morning, Mari. We have to find somewhere to spend the night. Do you wanna head to your place?"

Thinking about going home, about feeding white lies to her parents yet again, almost ripped her heart apart. She shook her head vehemently against the fabric of his shirt, sniffing loudly. "I just can't, Adrien. Mama's way too perceptive, she'll know right away that something's wrong."

"To her credit, something's _very_ wrong. Your best friend is in the hospital as we speak, recovering from a near-drowning experience."

His tone was gentle, his eyes earnest. He didn't need to voice what he was trying to convey, his words were as clear as if he had spoken them. Whatever she would decide on, he would follow. He'd always follow her. A weak smile answered him, as Marinette uttered softly, "I can't face them, Adrien. Not knowing if … if we'll even come back after…"

A loud sob interrupted her, and he tenderly stroked her back, whispering sweet nothings into her ear to try and calm her down. Her pain bled into him, and he held her close, wanting nothing more than to be a shoulder for her to lean on. His own worries, his own fears were pushed at the back of his mind, his entire being focusing on her. Once her crying had finally subdued to a few sniffles here and there, Adrien slightly pulled away from her, searching her eyes for any remnants of her despair, "Hey, it's going to be alright. To be honest, I don't really wanna face my father or Natalie either right now. I don't wanna answer the questions that are sure to come."

"What … what are we going to do?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, and Adrien couldn't wrap his mind around how much vulnerable, how fragile she looked to him in that precise second. Her dress was dirty in a few spots, her makeup was all smudged of all the crying she had done that night. Nestled inside his way-too-big for her jacket and barefoot, she seemed minuscule, and yet she was bearing the fate of the world on her petite shoulders.

He took her hand into his and pressed a brief kiss on her forehead. "We can find some secluded rooftop to wait the night away if that's what you want, but Tikki and Plagg are exhausted from that ridiculously long fight and I don't think transforming again tonight would be wise. I have some money set aside for emergencies, which Natalie doesn't know about, so we can get a hotel room without anyone being none the wisest. It'd give us a way to freshen up a bit, maybe grab a few hours of much-needed sleep with any chance."

Marinette cast a worried glance to the kwamis now both sound asleep in her purse, and thought about what was awaiting them in only a few hours. The four of them would need to be as sharp and rested as possible, and if it seemed to be impossible to achieve such a feat for herself and Adrien by that point, at least the little magic beings still stood a chance. So she nodded, and let him lift her from the ground, bridal style. In any other circumstances, she would have put up a fight, would have argued that walking barefooted on solid concrete was no big deal for a superheroine used to run on rooftops in nothing but spandex. But right then, her entire being felt numb, drained, and she settled on resting her head in the crook of his neck, letting the steady pace of his steps lulling her in a half-asleep state.

She was vaguely aware of him checking his phone for something and switching direction, his walking more assertive all of a sudden. Minutes later Adrien pushed a door with his shoulder, reassuring his grip on her somewhat limp body, and began talking, his voice making his chest vibrate with a low and comforting rumble at every word. What words were exchanged, Marinette didn't have a single clue, but soon after he began walking again, and pushed another door, gently sitting her on the edge of an unknown bed.

He vanished from her sight for what could have been an hour as well as mere minutes, but when he came back, he was carrying a bunch of clean clothes. The oddity of their situation snapped her out of her dazed state, and she smiled at him weakly, "How did you pull this off at, what is now, three a.m.?"

Adrien grinned, obviously pleased with himself and relieved to see she was feeling somewhat better. "Being an Agreste sometimes has its perks. There's not many things money can't achieve. A generous tip was enough to convince the bellboy to fetch us some more casual clothes despite the late hour, and a pair of shoes for you."

She shot a glance at the sleeping kwamis in her bag, and sighed, reluctant to voice her grim thoughts. "I… I know you said it wouldn't be wise to transform again tonight, but…" she trailed off, a single tear sliding down her cheek. "I think we should record something, just in case…"

"In case we don't make it," Adrien ended for her, and the young woman nodded, hugging herself as if she was trying to avoid falling apart. He paused, considering her words, before saying softly, "Wake the kwamis up, I'm going to set up my phone."

They both had fully expected some kind of resistance from their magical friends, but as soon as they understood what their charges intended to do, they both yielded to their wishes with solemn faces. Transformations were called upon, and Chat Noir pressed on the "Record" button of his phone with somewhat shaky fingers.

Explications were given, then transformations were dropped. With teary eyes and broken voices, apologies were made and farewells they dearly hoped wouldn't ever be needed were uttered.

Adrien got up at the end of their impromptu speech and stopped the video, his hands unsure on the electronic device. Looking up at Marinette, he asked, "Should I send it to the Ladyblog? To make sure everyone gets it?"

"Can you postpone it?"

Focusing back on the phone, he nodded. "I'll set it in two days, it'll give me enough time to erase it should it hopefully become useless."

Marinette ignored the lump in her throat as she watched him type something on the virtual keyboard before powering off his phone. Adrien then sat beside her on the bed, cupping her cheek gently. "I texted Natalie, told her I was staying at the bakery for the night and would wait until the authorities say it's safe to come out before going back home. It should hold up the hysterics and frantic calls until after the fight."

She reached for her own phone in her purse, not surprised at all to see a few missed texts and calls from her parents. They had somehow learned about Alya's accident, and were worried about their daughter's current whereabouts. With tears of guilt pricking at her eyes, Marinette typed,

[Mari] Sorry, misplaced my purse in the commotion. Adrien and I are both safe and sound. Will stay with him for the night, and come home as soon as police says it's safe to do so.

[Mari] Love you guys 3

As she pressed the power button down, Marinette felt like she was leaving a huge part of herself behind. The screen turned black, effectively severing their very last tie to the outside world, and she suddenly felt way beyond lonely despite having Adrien sitting not even two inches from her. The young man must have sensed the sudden shift in her mood, because he scooted even closer to her, wiping a lone tear on her cheek with his thumb. "Come here, let's get you out of that uncomfortable dress."

She rose to her feet, complying to his silent command, and let his jacket slip from her shoulders. The air of the room felt cold on the naked skin of her arms, and she shivered as Adrien made her turn so that her back would face him. Careful fingers removed the hairpins from her updo, one by one, almost reverently. One by one, the black strands of hair fell against her milky skin. Adrien then removed her necklace with slow, measured motions. He pressed a chaste kiss on the nape of her neck, before reaching up for the fastening of her dress.

His fingers brushed against the bare skin of her back as he reached the end of the zip, and something flared deep inside her. The implications of everything that was going to happen in a few hours came crashing down on her all at once, and her breath caught in her throat. Marinette became painfully aware that while it was very possible that she wouldn't survive the fight against Hawkmoth, she could also lose _him,_ lose _this._ That this might very well be their last night together, the last time they ever got to spend together.

Her whole being suddenly ablaze with a need to be with him, to erase any distance between them, she spun around and crashed her lips onto his, hard. "I can't lose you," she whispered against the skin of his lips between heated and feverish kisses, her fingers tangled into the fabric of his shirt.

"I know." His lips ghosted over her collarbone while his fingers gently caressed the bare skin of her shoulders. "I'm scared too."

It was like a tipping point. Like they had been dancing around the edge of something deeper, more meaningful, and his words finally shattered the fragile floor beneath their feet. Their lips latched to each other once again, the dress fell to the floor in a cascade of blue fabric, only to be joined by his shirt seconds later.

They toppled over the bed, Adrien peppering her skin with open-mouthed kisses while his hands roamed over her body, careful of not letting a single inch of her go unloved. Marinette's fingers dug into his hair, pulling him back to her lips gently. When their tongues met in a heated embrace, Adrien made a keen sound at the back of his throat, destroying any restraint she might still have by that point.

Their lovemaking that night was slow and desperate, both of them trying to carve the memory of the other's touch on their skin, both of them trying to engrave the other's taste in their memories for keepsakes. They couldn't get enough of each other. They were both tired and sore, but neither of them cared the slightest. They didn't want to sleep, they wanted the ache, wanted to feel alive. The bed creaked under their weight, their breaths became pants as they kissed each other senseless, trying hopelessly to dull the pain tearing them both apart with their love.

The overbearing threat of not making it out of the fight against Hawkmoth unscathed, or at all for that matter, poured some urgency in every single of their motions. They clung to each other through the hours of the night like a drowning man to a lifeline. When Marinette rippled around him like a wave on the sea, Adrien claimed her mouth into one last searing kiss, carefully dropping his weight beside her on the mattress and gathering her into his arms. Neither of them slept a single second that night, instead lying tightly intertwined within the hotel's sheets, the only thing separating their skins being a thin layer of sweat on both of their bodies as they held each other close.

* * *

Morning came all too fast, along with the dreadful reality crashing over them.

Room service came around eight o'clock, and Adrien all but had to force half of a croissant and a few grapes down Marinette's throat. She kept pacing around the room, glancing at the small television that kept replaying their message in an endless loop, followed by a special message from the Mayor that forbid all citizens from being in the streets past eleven up until further notice.

The clothes the bellboy had fetched them were surprisingly comfortable, black leggings and a knitted sweater for her along with a pair of flats, and jeans and a black t-shirt with the hotel logo for himself. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Adrien toyed with his ring as he watched both kwamis eagerly feasting on cheese and pastries. As he looked away to watch Marinette's stiff body on the other side of the room, he felt a gentle nudge against his knuckles.

Fully expecting to meet Tikki's big and kind blue eyes, he was astonished to see that Plagg had flown off the cheese plate and landed in his charge's lap. "It's going to be okay, kid. You and Marinette have come a long way, and you two are the strongest bug and kitten we ever had."

"You really think so?" Adrien couldn't help but ask, shocked his kwami's unusual supportiveness.

The black cat grinned before shoving a piece of cheese in his mouth inelegantly. "I know so. Neither of you will stop at anything to protect the other. You're an indestructible team, Adrien. Hawkmoth is about to learn it at his own expense."

Words could only do so much to ease the unbearable pressure weighing on their shoulders, but the young man caught a glimpse of a smile on his girlfriend's face, a faint but definitely there glimmer of hope.

Eleven o'clock eventually rolled around. After triple-checking that they both had their phones tucked into the pockets of their civilian clothes, Adrien and Marinette called upon their transformation. They stood wordlessly as the magic engulfed them for what would probably be the final time, hand in hand, revelling one last time in the strange intimacy of the moment.

Minutes later, they were on the hotel's roof, running toward the Eiffel Tower while authorities were finishing up emptying the streets. It was an eerie and odd feeling, watching Paris being mostly void of any life at that time of day.

Their trek was silent, only disrupted by the sound of their own feet hitting the shambles of their beloved rooftops like an unsettling chant. _One last time. One last time. One last time._

At eleven thirty, they were restlessly sitting on a roof across the Tower, watching wordlessly as policemen and firemen were drawing a huge security perimeter around the base of the landmark, trying to keep unconscious and suicidal media at bay.

At eleven forty-five, Chat Noir extended his staff with a dry, shard sound, vaulting both of Paris's heroes over the security line and the crowd of hungry reporters and pissed-off representatives of the law.

At eleven fifty, Ladybug and Chat Noir entered the Eiffel Tower without so much as a glance behind them.

At noon, all of Paris held its breath.


	48. Chapter 48: High Noon

_As promised, another update! You've been fueling me with reviews and comments, happy happy writer here!_

* * *

Instead of their usual and playful gallivanting on the outside structure, that day, at high noon, Chat Noir and Ladybug took the elevator to the second platform of the Eiffel Tower, like any other civilian.

They hadn't heard back from Hawkmoth ever since their little stunt on television, not a single reply to Ladybug's unplanned challenge. But he had to be there. For both of their sanity, they had to put a stop to this violence, to this nonsense. Before anyone else got hurt, before anyone figured out the loophole in the miraculous cure.

The elevator doors opened with a small ding, and apprehension suddenly clutched both of their stomachs. Chat Noir looked at his partner, his lips stretched into a thin line. This was it, as soon as they'd step out of that elevator there was no going back. When she nodded imperceptibly, his left hand reached for his baton in his back while the other grabbed hers, squeezing her fingers with a confidence he didn't even possess. He saw her seize her yoyo in a similar fashion, and they stepped over the threshold, easily falling into the same pace.

They didn't have to wander really far into the viewing platform to catch sight of their opponent, as he was standing about fifty feet from them, stiff as a guitar string. Despite having seen his face in a giant cloud of butterflies prior, during the Stoneheart mess, facing the man himself was kind of uncanny, surreal. He was lean and tall, and a definite aura of steel-like authority emanated from him. He obviously wasn't the kind of man who'd ever consider taking no for an answer, and something about his whole demeanor made Chat Noir squirm. He had no clue if it was the well-tailored purple suit with wing-like pitch black lapels, or the silver mask that followed closely every line of his skull, but the man seemed oddly familiar to him, and it made him nervous. His miraculous, a white butterfly with the wings spread, was pinned to the collar of his shirt. He held a dark, sharp cane in his hands. The unnatural, straight line of Hawk Moth's back made the cane more decorative that functional.

Upon seeing the superheroes approaching, an evil smirk lightened his face, his eyes gleaming menacingly within the enclosed space of the Tower's viewing platform. "Word is that you wanted to see me, Ladybug?"

His voice was deep, imperious, with hints of something akin to a sneer seeping through it. A shiver ran down Ladybug's spine, but she took a step forward nonetheless, ignoring how dry her mouth felt all of a sudden as opposed to the wetness of her palms. "This has gone way too far and has to stop, Hawkmoth. Give us your miraculous right now so we can return it to its rightful owner."

Her voice was calm and assured, a total opposite to how she truly felt. Hawkmoth shook his head, his evil grin never leaving his face, "I'm afraid we won't be able to reach an agreement today, then. You see, I walked in here with the firm intention of finally claiming ownership over both of your miraculous, not surrender mine."

"We won't abandon them as long as we're breathing," Chat Noir snarled through clenched teeth, extending his staff, all of his muscles ready to pounce. Beside him, his partner started swirling her yoyo, ready to take off in a heartbeat.

Hawkmoth's daunting smile only grew larger. "So be it."

The supervillain lunged forward, wielding his cane like a sword. Both heroes instantly spurred into motion, easily avoiding the incoming attack. They fell into their favorite combat position, back-to-back, weapons in hand, ready for anything.

Despite the years fighting akuma side by side they hadn't accounted for one thing. Hawkmoth _wasn't_ an akuma and they didn't have a single clue what he was capable of.

To their sheer horror, a swarm of white butterflies flew out of the tip of his cane, engulfing Ladybug and Chat Noir in a terrorizing mess of white and wings beats. Instinctively, Chat Noir moved in to shield his partner and take the brunt of the attack, but to no avail. Thousands of little wings stung their exposed skins as the overwhelming mob suffocated them.

Soon, both heroes were captured and hoisted into the air. They floated, flailing futility to regain control while the butterflies tightened their deadly grip on them.

"Pitiful, insignificant fools."

As Hawkmoth marched toward both immobilized heroes, a mad glint sparkled in his eyes. "I was never successful in akumatizing either of you from afar, alas the butterfly miraculous isn't nearly powerful enough to overcome the powers of the black cat miraculous, let alone the ladybug. But here, in close quarters, with the _incredible_ feast of negative emotions?" His arms linked in his back as he spoke, and another uncomfortable flare of recognition sparked within Chat Noir.

Reaching forward, he ignored the look of pure disgust from Ladybug to forcibly lift her chin. "What an easy feat to achieve now. Fear. Doubt. Regret. Guilt. This is all but a banquet for me and my dear akumas."

Wrestling with his restraints, Chat Noir spat menacingly, "Don't you dare lay a single finger on her!"

Ignoring the feline's threats, the villain ran a gloved finger along her jawline, not even retracting his hand as she tried to bite him. "Your pretty magical suits might be _almost_ indestructible, but you can still get hurt underneath and are still vulnerable to other miraculous weapons. And it just so happens that the butterfly miraculous allows its wielder to create champions to fight on his behalf. You know what that means?"

Their eyes widened as Hawkmoth flicked his wrist, summoning a butterfly in his open palm. "Now… Who will that be?" Hawkmoth taunted Chat Noir by swinging the butterfly in his direction. "The lonely, self-deprecating kitty?" Still taunting them in that haunting sing-song tone, Hawkmoth pointed the butterfly at Ladybug. "Or the terrified, guilt-ridden bug?"

With a flourish, he opened his hand again, letting the butterfly fly toward Ladybug. Time seemed to glitch, slowing down to an unbearable pace as Chat Noir watched, helpless, the evillized butterfly reaching its target. Seconds later, her mask shone a weird purple shade, and a lone tear spilled on her cheek as she shook her head relentlessly.

With an evil cackle, Hawkmoth snapped his fingers and the remaining butterflies dropped the heroes on the ground, flying back into the cane.

Circled in an almost fetal position, Ladybug was shivering violently, and her partner rushed to her side, taking her face into both of his hands. "Fight it, my lady, fight it! You're stronger than this, _we're_ stronger than this. I'm right here, I'll help you through—"

"Enough." Hawkmoth raised a hand, and she rose fluidly, swinging her yoyo above her head. "Ladybug, get me the black cat miraculous. NOW."

Tears fell from her eyes, her face crestfallen as she advanced on Chat Noir. Choking on a sob, she mouthed helplessly, "I'm sorry," and lunged.

The fight that ensued under Hawkmoth's amused gaze was messy and unfair.

Chat Noir dodged incoming attacks, unable to bring himself to hurt her while she, despair written all over her face, aimed wound him in spite of herself, to draw blood.

He was hindered before the fight had even begun, and it wasn't long before she managed to land a critical blow. With a horrified gasp on her part, her yoyo wrapped itself around his left ankle and she yanked on the string, hard. Chat Noir fell to the ground, his scream of pain couldn't disguise the sound of the bone breaking.

Ladybug fell to her knees a few feet away from him. She shook her head miserably and hugged herself tight, desperately trying to prevent her limbs to disobey her further.

From where he was, kneeling on his good leg and leaning on his staff, Chat Noir could see her mask shining as renewed tears spilled over it.

With the leisurely pace of someone who had already won the war and had nothing more to fear, Hawkmoth walked toward him. Grabbing the leather-covered hand, he stared into the green eyes and smirked. "Game over, _chaton._ "

Chat Noir spurred into motion again, refusing to surrender that easily and taking his foe by surprise. Before Hawkmoth could tug on the silver ring, he extended his staff promptly, vaulting on the other side of the room in one, long jump.

Landing, he let out a cry of pain as his injured foot hit the ground, but he ignored it and half-crouched, ready to pounce again.

"I'll give you that, you're stubborn," fulminated Hawkmoth before he looked again at the shivering mess that was left of Ladybug on the floor. "Minion, break his other ankle."

"No."

The word had been all but ripped from her lips, an outrage to her enemy. "I … I—I don't want to."

It was barely above a whisper, but both men heard it clearly in the eerie silence of the Tower.

Hawkmoth reached for her with an open palm, but the slap never came. He halted his motion mid-air, looking at the blond man at the other side of the room. "You're a fighter, little bug, but even if you won't obey, it doesn't change anything. You refuse to hurt him? Fine, I will, then."

He lunged forward, cane wielded high.

Years of fencing had made Chat Noir an adept opponent, and he haphazardly stood with his staff ready. But his ankle was refusing to support his weight, impairing his movements a greater deal than he had expected.

When Hawkmoth's blow came, he was barely able to dodge it. A swat of his staff deflected the hit aimed at his heart, and the sharp metal rod ripped open the tender flesh of his thigh, leaving a wide gash behind.

The villain lifted his weapon again without bothering to take a step back.

Grasping at the unexpected proximity of his opponent, Chat Noir charged, claws out. They met Hawkmoth's face, ripping the skin open. Chat Noir stumbled a few feet further, trying to spare his bad ankle, while Hawkmoth's erupted in a demented laugh.

Raising a gloved hand to his cheek, he dabbed on the three deep and bloody gashes that the hero had left behind, smirking, "I'm about to hold the absolute power, do you really think I mind a scar or two? Accept your demise, stubborn cat. You can't even walk, and your partner—"

His taunting was interrupted by a familiar yoyo wrapping itself around his torso without warning, followed almost instantly by Ladybug.

She landed on his back, her face distorted in a grimace of pain. Her eyes met Chat Noir's, and the pure agony he read in them knocked the air out his lungs. Still clinging to Hawkmoth, she let small cries of pain as she desperately grasped for his miraculous, fighting his control over her body.

In the brief confusion that followed her reappearance into the fight, Chat Noir stood painfully and limped toward the odd pair, leaning on his staff to try and ease the pressure on the broken bones.

Just as his claws were about to close on the purple collar, Hawkmoth grinned devilishly. A flick of his wrist, and he vanished into a swarm of purple butterflies and Ladybug collapsed on the ground.

She and Chat Noir paused for a second, stunned, before the villain reappeared behind the spotted heroine.

"Duck!" the feline hero cried out, but she was still fighting their enemy's mind games and couldn't react in time. The evil butterflies took hold of her again, lifting her from the ground.

"I'll make you wish you'd obeyed the first time, mangy cat," Hawkmoth snarled, before swatting his hand away violently.

In one swift motion, the magical beings followed suit and smashed their prey against the iron wall of the viewing platform. The young hero watched, helpless, as the back of Ladybug's head hit the metal beam with a sickening sound. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she slid to the ground like a rag doll, a pitiful pile of immobile tangled limbs.

Worry for the woman he loved and pure rage instantly poured in Chat Noir veins, and he howled, his fists clenched tight, "I'll kill you for this! _Cataclysm! "_

Adrenaline rushed through him and he ignored the pain searing in his leg as he dashed forward, charged hand first. At the last possible second, he hesitated for a heartbeat.

Hawkmoth avoided him easily with a dry laugh and pushed the hero against the anti-suicide fence, making it shatter into a millions pieces under his hand. Chat Noir dropped to the ground with a soft whimper, his wounded ankle and thigh giving up beneath him.

Hawkmoth crouched beside the fallen hero, lifting his chin to force him to look into the cold and emotionless eyes. "See? That's the good thing with heroes. You are _so_ predictable. You will _never_ use your destruction power on another human being, no matter how hard you fool yourself into thinking you want to." He stood up and resumed his train of thoughts, "Haven't you figured it out yet, stupid cat? You _lost._ "

A polished shoe came crashing down on the arm Chat Noir had extended toward his fallen partner, ripping a deafening scream from his throat as the bones snapped under the pressure.

Turning his back on him without another glance, Hawkmoth walked to the still figure of Ladybug, brandishing his cane. Desperate, Chat Noir pushed on his good leg in an attempt to crawl toward his partner, "Leave her alone!"

Ignoring the pitiful hero who was still trying to get to the woman he loved despite an injured leg and a broken arm, the villain used his cane to pin her torso to the ground with an evil smirk. Horrified, Chat Noir choked on a sob as he saw drops of blood drip around the impact point.

Crouched beside Ladybug, Hawkmoth brushed the dark hair away from her ears. "You've been a pesky, annoying little bug for a very long time, and now your dear kitty will get to see you die before suffering the same fate."

He unclasped her earrings from her ears, robbed her of her miraculous, and a bright flash of pink left Marinette's broken body behind. Hawkmoth's eyes widened for a second as he took in her civilian appearance, but his shocked expression was quickly replaced by steel-like resolve. "I've been right all along…"

Tucking the earrings away in the pocket of his suit, he stood up and grabbed Marinette's form unceremoniously from the ground, marching toward the broken barrier with decisiveness in his steps that discouraged Chat Noir from even trying to beg for their mercy.

Chat Noir felt rather than heard the roar that escaped his lips as Hawkmoth held his Marinette, his princess, by the throat, hovering her unconscious body over the void.

If he dropped her, that would be a three hundred and eighty feet fall.

She didn't stand a chance.

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 _You said you wanted another cliffhanger, right?_


	49. Chapter 49: Shattered

Chat Noir whimpered, trying to rise to his feet using his staff, his good leg and arm.

Hawkmoth noticed his pitiful attempts, and had a dry laugh. "What is it, _chaton_? Want a better seat to your lover's ultimate demise? You know, you're not so cocky anymore now that your precious bug's life is in my hands."

Bracing the shoulder of his injured arm on the section of the security gate that hadn't been destroyed by his cataclysm, the hero used the added support to pull himself up on a shaky leg. "You won't get away with this, Hawkmoth."

Still holding Marinette over thin air, the other man let out a maniacal laugh. "And what are you going to do, mangy cat? I already have the ladybug's miraculous, and it's only a matter of time before yours is mine too."

Chat Noir winced, the pain in his leg slowly but surely becoming unbearable. "The Guardian is still out there. There are other miraculouses. There will be other heroes, and sooner or later, they will stop you. The villain _never_ wins."

Hawkmoth sneered disdainfully. Without relinquishing his grasp on Marinette's throat, he drove his cane into Chat Noir's stomach, making him stumble against the gate.

Pain shot through the hero's entire body, and he found himself coughing droplets of blood on his good hand. Refusing to surrender just yet, he spoke again, "I struck a nerve it would seem. How about we make a deal? My ring in exchange for her life."

"You're not in a position to bargain, Chat Noir. Look at you, you're no better than dead. A poor, lonely stray cat. This girl has to pay for all the years she delayed my access to the ultimate power, and so do you."

A strange shadow crossed Hawkmoth's face, and he looked back at Marinette's unconscious figure in his hold. "I've had my suspicions for a while to be honest. I got to see Ladybug's earrings from up close when you fought against Jackady. Seeing them, even if they were slightly different, on this girl, was a shock, to say the least."

Chat Noir straightened, listening intently to the words that were now spilling freely from Hawkmoth's mouth. He tried to make sense out of it, to find a loophole in them, something that could save Marinette.

Unaware of the feline's intentions, Hawkmoth resumed talking, still staring at Marinette's face, "When I learned that she would be away from Paris for a weekend, I knew that it was my chance. The plan was foolproof: either Ladybug wouldn't show up at all, proving my guess wrong, or I would finally get her alone, without you interfering. How you managed to be on the premises _before_ her, I don't have a clue."

Chat Noir's breath caught in his throat. The countryside akuma had been no coincidence, it had been purposely sent after them as a trap. How many other close calls had there been? How many times had they avoided the worst without even knowing it?

When Hawkmoth spoke again, it was with a more subdued voice, full of something that bordered on regret. "What a pity, truly. My son will be heartbroken upon hearing the tragic news. Obviously, Adrien can find someone better suited for him that won't cheat on him with a stray without trouble, but he's just like his mother, an emotional mess and a hopeless romantic."

His heart stilled in his chest.

Chat Noir stared blankly at his archenemy, trying in vain to process the words that had just been pronounced.

That familiar posture, this authoritarian demeanor that made him uncomfortable, that spark of recognition when Ladybug had lost her transformation…

And now those words, those unbelievable words that had been said mindlessly, like he had forgotten that he had an audience…

"Tonight, with the miraculouses of the ladybug and the black cat, Amelya will be back and we'll finally be a family again. Hopefully, that will be enough to comfort him and he won't need that two-timer baker's daughter anymore."

The last of the puzzles pieces fell into place in Chat Noir's shattered mind, and it was far from painless.

The frequent business trips in odd locations.

The book he had stolen in the safe of his office.

How his father had never truly seemed afraid every time he had been targeted by an akuma.

The absences.

How Gabriel Agreste hadn't shown interest in his son for years, but had noticed the ring nonetheless.

How strangely easily he had agreed on Marinette coming to the countryside house for a weekend, despite barely knowing her.

How he had insisted time and time again on him _not_ attending Chloe's party.

How his father had chosen a fruitless and insane quest to bring back his deceased mother instead of mourning properly, how he had neglected their son and all but walked out of his life in order to do so.

How his _father_ was currently holding his _girlfriend_ over almost four hundred feet of void, ranting like a mad man about their broken family and how happy they would be together once Ladybug and Chat Noir would be out of the picture.

Something _broke_ inside Chat Noir.

Years of neglect, years of loneliness came crashing back on him with a vengeance, only to be unexpectedly washed away by newest memories. Memories of Ladybug and him patrolling the city, racing across the rooftops, laughing. Memories of Alya and Nino teasing him about his alleged-hopeless crush on the young heroine. Memories of Tom and Sabine, treating him like a member of the family before he even dated their daughter. Memories of Marinette, offering Chat Noir some hot chocolate on a cold night without expecting anything back. Marinette, smiling shyly at Adrien in class. Marinette, kissing him goodnight, hugging him whenever he was sad. Marinette staying with him after DreamWeaver, Marinette crying her heart out in his arms because he had been hurt in a fight.

Marinette _loving_ him. Unconditionally, and wholeheartedly.

And suddenly, clear as day, he knew what he had to do.

Painfully, he limped toward the edge of the platform, where his cataclysm had destroyed the security gate, and braced his injured arm against the remains. Clenching his teeth to rein in a whimper, he looked up toward Hawkmoth—his _father_ , and barked, "Hey Hawkmoth, _claws in!_ "

This was probably the last thing the man expected from the young hero, as he opened wide and shocked eyes while the familiar green light engulfed the feline.

As soon as the transformation dropped, the pain multiplied exponentially, and Plagg flew in front of his face, "Kid, have you lost your mind? What are you doing? Transform back if you want a single chance to walk out of this alive! You _promised_ me _,_ Adrien!"

But Adrien ignored his kwami's pleas, as well as the excruciating pain radiating through his entire body, and sustained Hawkmoth's shocked stare.

With slow, calculated movements, he moved his good foot on the edge of the platform, dragging the other leg painstakingly, cradling his broken arm to his chest. Not a single second his gaze left Hawkmoth's, letting him process what was happening.

Once he was close enough to the edge for his threat to be taken seriously, Adrien growled, "You want a happy family, _father_? After _this_?"

"Adrien…"

Ignoring the plea, the young man went on, " _You_ did this to me, father. _You_ broke my ankle and my arm, _you_ hit me in the stomach hard enough for me to cough blood. And _you_ want to be a _family_ again?" His voice was shaking, the pain becoming too much to handle for him. But he had to continue, had to convince him to release Marinette.

Adrien gulped, an unpleasant metallic taste in his mouth. "Hurt a single hair on her head, and I jump. You _know_ I will do it, _father._ I'm a hopeless romantic just like mom was, after all."

Multiple things happened at once.

Hawkmoth took a few steps back, dropping Marinette's body on the ground, away from her impending demise.

He ripped the brooch from his collar and threw it on the ground, promptly smashing it with his foot. The jewel shattered to pieces as its wielder collapsed on the floor, engulfed in a purple light. In its wake was left Gabriel Agreste, curled up in a fetal position on the cold tiles.

Adrien toppled back, away from the edge of the platform, and landed on his uninjured leg. Marinette's immobile figure came into his sight. Not paying any attention to Gabriel's mumbling, he crawled toward her, pushing on his good foot with all the energy he had left, pulling himself with his left hand to try and reach her faster.

After what seemed an eternity to him, he managed to drag his broken body close enough to gather her into the crook of his valid arm. Blood was covering her sweater slightly beneath her left breast, likely where the cane had punctured her skin, but a quick examining of her hair didn't reveal any open wound to her head. Her breathing was shallow, laborious, and she felt desperately small and frail. Sobbing uncontrollably in Marinette's silky black hair, Adrien leaned her body against his chest and reached for his phone in his pocket, dialing with shaky fingers as he pressed a single kiss on her forehead. "I love you, Mari. I can't lose you too."

* * *

Outside the Eiffel Tower, upon receiving Chat Noir's phone call, the authorities spurred into action. An entire team of paramedics rushed into the tower, followed closely by policemen, handcuffs ready.

While nobody dared to voice it, the same stifling worry was weighing everybody down.

If Chat Noir was the one calling for medical assistance, it surely meant that Hawkmoth had been defeated, didn't it?

Then why had the young hero been sobbing through the phone call? What had gone wrong?

When the emergency services finally rushed onto the second platform a few seconds later, they were greeted with a rather frightening sight. One that no one could have ever even imagined ever seeing in this lifetime or the next.

Gabriel Agreste, Paris most famous designer, was curled up on the ground, rocking back and forth restlessly, repeating over and over again like a chant. "My son. My son. My son." He was completely oblivious to his surroundings, and there was a crazed spark in his eyes, in his voice. The remnants of a shattered butterfly brooch were lingering on the floor beside him, and there was blood splatters everywhere on his customized suit.

A few feet from there, covered in bruises and blood, his arm twisted at a weird angle, sat a very clearly distressed Adrien Agreste, cradling the limp body of the Dupain-Cheng daughter. Her eyes were clenched shut, her breathing ragged. Tears were freely streaming down his face as he stroked the hair of the young woman with infinite fondness. When a paramedic finally managed to catch his attention, the only thing he could utter was a weak, "Please save her."

The paramedic nodded empathetically, and his team quickly and efficiently strapped the broken young woman on a stretcher. One of his colleagues tried to tend to Adrien's wounds, to no avail. He snapped her helping hands away from his body violently. "Don't mind me. Save her first."

His vision blurred as he tried to limp toward Marinette, ignoring yet again the intense pain searing through his whole body. He barely even saw the small woman climbing into the ambulance behind his broken partner before his eyes rolled back in his head and he felt his legs give up beneath him. He groaned inwardly, waiting for his exhausted body to hit the ground and the pain to flare up once more.

The blow never came, though, as large and powerful hands caught him and pressed him flush against a wide, warm chest. "It's okay, son, I got you."

Adrien finally gave up on consciousness. Lying limply in some unknown arms, the woman he loved taken away from him by some faceless paramedics, he finally surrendered to the pain and drifted into oblivion.

* * *

When Paris finally released its breath, it was to let out a cry of sorrow. Their children had won, but it was a much too bittersweet victory, with a much too hefty price to pay.


	50. Chapter 50: Soon

_TADAM! The following chapters are ready, so you MIGHT bribe me into posting them earlier than planned with enough reviews. Just saying :P_

* * *

Adrien was wakened up from his restless slumber by a familiar, powerful voice resonating only a few feet away from him. The man sounded angry, if his harsh yet firm tone was anything to go by. "I won't ask again. How is he?"

His interlocutor, a woman it seemed, stammered weakly, "I'm sorry, M. Dupain, as I said, this is confidential information that I'm not allowed to disclose to anyone other than immediate family."

"We _are_ his family," the man snarled lowly, but Adrien could hear clearly the threat underlining every single of his words. "Have you spent the previous twenty-four hours hiding under a rock? We are all this boy has left now. So. How. Is. My. Son?"

A resigned sigh. "Not good. His left ankle will more than likely need reconstructive surgery, and his right arm is fractured in two different places. He's been fighting sedation, which makes controlling his pain difficult. It's still too early to tell, but the internal bleeding in his stomach should be under control now and—"

Adrien stopped listening. He didn't need an extensive list of his injuries, the pain boiling under his skin was enough telling on its own. He lost himself in his own thoughts, not bothering to try to open his eyes. This would have taken too much energy from him, energy he deemed better spent trying to process the previous day's events.

A large hand landed on his shoulder without previous warning, snapping his attention back to his surroundings. The same deep, strong voice spoke again, this time much closer to him, "Hey there, son."

The man paused for a second, and Adrien almost wished he could see his face, see his expression. Instead, he listened intently, trying to pick up on the small hitches in his breathing. When he spoke again, his voice was somewhat subdued, broken even. "You've come a long way, my boy. You scared the life out of me out there."

A gentle stroke on his hair, a drop of something warm falling on his hand. The voice started talking again. "You did well, Adrien. Both of you. You two put an end to all of this madness. You don't have to worry about anything, just come back to us, okay? You … you passed out, back there. I brought you here, and they had to sedate you because you wouldn't stop trying to get to Mari's side despite your shattered ankle and all your injuries."

A sniffle, another stroke on his hair. "The crazy old bat stopped by, earlier. He took Plagg with him, something about him needing rejuvenation and feeding. I told him you wouldn't like that, should you wake up, so he left you your ring. He said that it should be enough assurance to you that you'd see your kwami again soon enough…" he trailed off, his voice breaking on the last words.

"He… Fu wasn't able to coax Tikki out of the earrings. He thinks she's holding on to Mari, to help keeping her alive with her inner luck. I… I don't want to lie to you, son. Things aren't looking good. She just got out of surgery right now, Sabine's with her. They're trying to ease the swelling inside her brain due to the hemorrhage as we speak."

Another drop falling on his hand. Adrien tried to will his eyes to open, wanted to look at the man more than anything, wanted to see his Marinette. But he was too weak, the effort was too colossal, and he slowly drifted back to unconsciousness.

* * *

When he woke up next, opening his eyes wasn't as much draining. The room in which he found himself was slightly dark, and Adrien vaguely felt a presence beside him. As he became more and more aware of his surroundings, he noticed a soft, tender hand gently patting his arm. The kind and reassuring face of a petite Asian woman came into view, and she smiled at him weakly despite her tired features. "How are you feeling, honey?"

He tried to answer, but his throat felt like sandpaper, and all he managed to choke out was a weak, strangled, "Thirsty."

"Oh, of course. Hold on." Sabine, his brain now managed to process, got up and left his sight for a second. The next thing he knew, a plastic cup was held against his lips, and cold water filled up his mouth. He swallowed it hastily, savoring the sensation the liquid gave him as it went down his overly dry throat.

"Better?" she asked, gently pushing his blond hair away from his eyes. Adrien nodded, his eyes glued to Sabine's face. She looked way beyond tired, with purple bags under her eyes, and a lingering sadness in them.

He tried to sit up, but she instantly lunged forward, keeping him firmly yet somewhat tenderly against the pillows. "Don't, Adrien. You just got out of surgery, they had to rebuild your ankle entirely. Are you okay? Are you in any pain? Nausea? Headache?"

Adrien looked at her, at that woman that didn't owe him anything, and yet was there by his side, without anyone paying her to take care of him. He shook his head, trying to smile in a weak attempt to reassure her, but memories of the events that had landed him in that hospital bed to begin with flooded his mind. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he sobbed weakly, "Mari?"

Sabine sat beside him on the hard mattress and caressed his cheek gently. There was so much motherly love in that simple gesture that Adrien felt like his heart would explode in his ribcage. She smiled at him, a sad, weak smile, and she answered, "We're still waiting. They have the swelling in her brain under control, and the surgery to repair her punctured lung was a success. She's still under sedation, mostly to ease the pain of the broken ribs, but she should wake up soon."

His fingers somehow found hers on the hard mattress, and he squeezed them before letting his head fall back onto the pillows.

Soon.

His princess would wake up soon.

* * *

Adrien grunted as the nurse uselessly tried to chat with him, laying his tray of food on a small table near his bed. It was the fifth or sixth time he came to his senses ever since being brought into the hospital, and only the third he had been able to remain awake for more than a few minutes.

Sabine and Tom were nowhere in sight, and it bothered him more than he'd care to admit. Why weren't they there? Was there something wrong with Marinette?

His sulking was cut short by a dry knock on the door. He lifted his gaze from his joined hands in his lap to meet Natalie's exhausted face, "May I come in?"

"Yes," he answered, relieved to see that things as simple as talking were beginning to become easier. She smiled and entered the room, pulling a chair next to his bed. Adrien stared at her, taking in her appearance. Her hair was down, reaching past her shoulders, and she had no makeup on. She wore simple jeans and a woolen sweater, and it was obvious that she hadn't slept in way too many hours.

She took a look at him and reached for his hand, gently stroking his fingers. Astonished by the unusual display of affection, Adrien gaped at her, waiting for her to speak. When she did, her voice was broken by an unexpected sob, "I'm… I'm so sorry, Adrien. Had I known, I would have protected you better than I did…"

The weight of her words shocked him to the core. She, out of all people, felt _guilty_ because of his father's unspeakable actions. Ignoring the pain the sudden movement awakened in his tired limbs, he lunged forward and pulled her into a tight hug, sobbing quietly against her shoulder, "Don't. Don't blame yourself. He… He is the monster, not you. You always took care of me, you've always been there for me. You … you're amazing Natalie."

They stayed like that for a moment, two broken lives colliding with each other. When she did pull away from him, tears were shining in her eyes, "I… I can imagine that you probably don't want to hear this right now, but I was able to transfer ownership of everything your fa—M. Agreste possessed into your name before the authorities froze his assets."

"Why… Why did they freeze his accounts?" Adrien forced himself to ask. He would have to face the music sooner or later, so he might as well know what was waiting for him out there.

Natalie looked away from him, but didn't relinquish her grip on his hand. "He has fallen into a catatonic state the second you were taken away on that gurney. He only snaps out of it to ask how much harm he had done you. The psychiatrists are talking about some violent form of post-traumatic stress disorder, probably triggered by the sudden passing away of your mother."

"The psychiatrists?" the young man asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"They sent him in a high-security psychiatric facility. Your father, Adrien, he… He became ill-obsessed with protecting you from all harm and bringing back your mother, at any cost. He… He doesn't even see what he did wrong, in his sick mind he thinks that he did it for you, for your family."

Despite himself, Adrien pulled away from her, grimacing through the pain her words had unwillingly cut into his heart. "What a twisted way to think."

"Realizing that he had hurt _you_ out there pushed him over the edge, severed the last straw tying him to sanity. They think that maybe, someday, he won't be a menace anymore, but only after years of therapy and a lot of antipsychotic medication."

Stubbornly looking at his legs, Adrien sighed. "I don't think I could ever forgive, him, Natalie."

"Nobody's asking that from you," she replied softly. "Even though you are eighteen and lawfully an adult, the Dupain-Chengs have insisted that you come and live with them. If you'd rather go back to the mansion though, it's still your home. It's entirely up to you."

He shook his head vehemently. "It was never my home, Natalie. It was only a house. I don't want anything to do with it. Sell it, I don't mind."

"You're going to live with the Dupain-Chengs, then?" Natalie nodded, obviously having anticipated this reaction from him. After all, who could blame the young man for being reluctant to go back to cold and empty walls charged with painful memories?

Adrien considered his options for a brief moment, before asking more softly, "Do you think you could buy something smaller? A simple house, with no more than two or three bedrooms. Somewhere I could live with Mari, someday?"

The smile that lit up the former assistant warmed his tortured heart. "Of course. Rest assured that I'll manage the company on your behalf until you're ready to take over, or sell it, whichever you'll decide on."

She got up, hesitating for a heartbeat before leaning toward him and placing a single peck on his forehead. "Despite everything and the wrongdoings, never doubt that your father loves you, Adrien. And I love you too, very much. You're my pride and joy."

As Natalie left the room, Adrien didn't notice the way her shoulders shook from her silent sobs, too absorbed in hiding in his own crying.

* * *

Restless dreams of running across rooftops, laughing with Ladybug, were the next thing to wake him up. The feeling of the wind in his hair, the remembrance of the bite of the air on his skin was enough to bring Adrien back to more conscious feelings.

Warm paws cuddling his cheek.

A dry, familiar voice, squeaking inelegantly before saying excitedly, "KID! You're awake! I missed you so much!"

Adrien let out a small laugh, reaching up with his valid arm to pat the little being on the head. "Hello to you too, Plagg."

"What you did out there was brilliant, kid. Insane, but brilliant." The small kwami nuzzled his nose against his charge's cheek, and Adrien felt his heart swell. Never before had Plagg been so affectionate toward him, that told a lot about how scared he had been.

Another voice, a lot less familiar, spoke, "I agree, young man. What you did was amazing, I couldn't be prouder of you."

Startled, Adrien looked up from his exalted kwami, surprised to see an old man sporting a Hawaiian shirt in the chair beside his bed. "Fu."

The old man nodded, a sad smile on his lips. "You're a clever young lad. Needless to say, I had hoped to meet you under less … medical circumstances."

"Did you know?" the young man blurted out, the question that had plagued him ever since finding out the unthinkable escaping his lips.

"That your father was Hawkmoth?" Master Fu sighed, sustaining Adrien's peering gaze. "I did not. That was a twisted trick of fate. But, even if I had known, Chat Noir, the magic would have chosen you still. **You** were the Yang to this Ladybug's Yin. Nobody else could have done it. You were made for each other."

The young man stayed silent for a minute, contemplating his ring and the black kwami who was now nestled in his lap, purring happily. Master Fu interrupted his musings, saying softly, "What's on your mind, young man?"

"I … Tom said that you weren't able to coax Tikki out of Mari's earrings. But Hawk—father took them, so how…?"

Plagg jerked up, grinning, "When your father dropped his transformation, the earrings fell on the ground. I snatched them up and gave them to her mother in the ambulance. She put them back on Marinette, and Tikki is refusing to come out ever since."

Adrien nodded, smiling softly. "Thanks a lot for retrieving them for her, Plagg. Why won't Tikki leave the earrings?"

"She feels guilty because she failed to protect her charge from the akumatization. So she's trying to amend for it by lending her luck in healing." Master Fu replied, smiling affectionately. "Tikki has always been protective of her chosens, but never before had she been that stubborn. She must be really fond of this one. Just like Plagg is quite proud of his latest kitten."

"Hey old man," interrupted said kwami, "you're only going to inflate his head. He doesn't need to know all the details." His wide smile and the playful glint in his eyes contradicted his falsely annoyed tone though, and Adrien absentmindedly patted him, finding comfort in his kwami's familiar presence.

A sudden thought occurred to him, and he gasped, horrified, "Oh my gosh! The butterfly kwami! My father destroyed the brooch, will he be okay?"

Master Fu smiled, "Ah, the infinite kindness of your heart still bewilders me, young man. Don't worry, Nooroo is safe. The brooch isn't broken beyond repair, and for the time being, he's getting a well-deserved rest after being abused for years."

"I'm glad," Adrien sighed, still cradling Plagg with infinite care, "that my father's actions won't have any more consequences than they already did."

He tried, and failed, to stifle a yawn, prompting the old man to chuckle lowly. "You're exhausted, Adrien, and have been through a lot. I'll take my leave, but I'll come back to visit you later this week should you have more questions."

"Can I stay with him now?" pleaded Plagg, taking both Fu and Adrien by surprise.

The former smiled fondly, rising from his seat and leaning on his cane. "I don't see why not, Plagg. Take care of your chosen, since you're obviously quite fond of this one."

"Master Fu?" asked Adrien before Plagg could formulate an objection.

"Yes, my boy?"

Adrien gulped, staring at his kwami intently. "Will Marinette be okay?"

Master Fu paused on the threshold, staring at the blond, broken young man, looking way too small and wrongly weak in his cold hospital bed. He looked at Plagg, the notoriously most sourly and grouchy kwami, who was _cuddling_ with his charge, no less, purring happily in his lap and grinning madly.

With a sigh, Fu looked back at Adrien, "She has all the luck of the world on her side. Let's hope it'll be enough."


	51. Chapter 51: Tribute

_Since you asked so nicely..._

* * *

The image on the camera fluttered, before revealing a suited up Chat Noir looking unsure of himself. He stepped back from the recording device and sat on the hotel bed beside his partner.

Ladybug looked at him briefly, seeking reassurance in the familiar gaze, then looked back at the lens. "Hello, people of Paris. If you're seeing this, it means that something went wrong during our fight against Hawkmoth."

Chat Noir took her hands into his, and stared at the recording device in turn. "We felt like we owed Parisians an explanation regarding what happened with Cosmaniak. We recently found out that there was a limitation to the miraculous cure, a loophole if you will."

"My powers only fix what has been done _by_ the akuma, or _against_ the akuma," resumed Ladybug, her voice slightly off. "A civilian has been hurt tonight, and because of this … technicality, the magic didn't heal her." She paused and gulped. "This is why I provoked Hawkmoth earlier tonight. Sooner or later, he'll find out about this limit, and we have to defeat him before any other innocents are hurt because of him, or worse."

Chat Noir smiled sadly, "We are recording this in case we aren't able to tell all of this ourselves after the battle, for some reason. Evidently, the civilians behind the masks also have a message to get through."

Two bright colorful flashes lit up the screen, and two young people in wrinkled formal attire appeared on the video. They both looked beyond exhausted, and the girl seemed on the verge of tears.

She spoke, her voice wavering with the emotion, "To all of our friends and family, we are so, so sorry. About all the lying, all the excuses, about what we're about to do. We had to keep this from you, to protect you from Hawkmoth and his akumas."

"We really, really hope that we're recording this uselessly," Adrien said, "but just in case, please know that getting the incredible chance of being chosen to protect Paris, to defend our city, was the best thing that ever happened to us. Whatever happens tomorrow, we are proud of what we accomplished so far. We'd like you to remember us like this, with happy memories."

He stood up and walked toward the camera, while Marinette blurted out in the background, tears finally trailing down her cheeks, "I'm so, so sorry Alya, that I couldn't protect you."

Then the screen went black.

* * *

 ** _LADYBUG & CHAT: HOW MUCH PARIS TRULY OWES THEM_**

 ** _Posted on the Ladyblog by Alya Césaire_**

 _Short of having spent the last four years under a rock, every single Parisian knows how this story goes. Some of you may even tell the tale of two masked teenagers that magically appeared out of nowhere on a beautiful summer afternoon to your children while tucking them into bed, clad in black and red suits, yoyo and staff in hand. They were clumsy, obviously unsure of themselves, but they dived into action nonetheless, defeating Stoneheart with style on what was only their second attempt._

 _Despite some rocky starts, the superheroic duo was quick to find its very own pace and dynamic, and soon enough they were saving Paris time and time again from the weekly villains. No matter what Hawkmoth's twisted imagination would send their way, they always made a point of stopping the new villain with as little violence as possible, take the akumatized citizen to safety and restore Paris's previous glory before parting their ways, resuming their civilian life until the next akuma._

 _Living such a strenuous double life was doubtlessly tedious and tiresome, and yet after every single fight, Chat Noir has taken time to reassure the victims, stressing time and time again that it was alright to experience bad emotions, that they had nothing to feel ashamed of and that Hawkmoth was the only single person to blame. It didn't matter if he was on a timer or not, he always had kind words to offer._

 _And at every single fight, Ladybug made sure to minimize the casualties, helping people escape even if it meant delaying the fight and losing a precious advantage on the villain. And once they were victorious, while her partner spent time with the victims, she was always out on the front lines, briefing law enforcements and reporters about what actually happened and setting the record straight. Then again, the motto was always to avoid making the victim feeling guilty. What happened was not his/her fault in any way, but Hawkmoth's._

 _Paris's new supervillain must have been something to handle on its own. And yet, fighting Hawkmoth's akumas isn't even remotely the only thing Ladybug and Chat Noir did for Paris over those years._

 _They actively participated in so many charity events, lending more than just their names to them. They have been spotted numerous times escorting young people home late at night. They have rescued more cats stuck in trees that I can possibly count. They have helped many police operations, have rescued people from burning buildings to ease the firemen work. They have patrolled Paris's streets_ every single _night ever since the first akuma occurred, taking turns and changing their itinerary from time to time, hoping to keep the city they loved safe._

 _Why am I telling you all of this tonight? Why am I bothering with this altogether?_

 _Truth be told, I'm probably biased when it comes to them. I have been on both receiving ends of their endless kindness over the course of the last four years, as a civilian as well as an akumatized victim._

 _As a victim, a while back, some unfounded accusations unfortunately led yours truly to be akumatized into Lady Wifi. So I know firsthand how it feels to come to your senses disoriented, groggy, and with no recollection altogether of the past minutes, hours, and in some unfortunate cases, days. I know what it feels like to_ know _that you have done something wrong against your will, but to be clueless where it comes to what you_ did. _I know how strange it is to see yourself on the news, looking so different from your different self that you have to remind yourself that yes, it was you, and that yes, you did that. And, first and foremost, I know how much it means to be comforted afterwards. To have someone—a superhero, no less—take time to see if you are truly alright._

 _As a civilian, if you're reading this it means that you are probably already aware that I have dedicated the better part of the last four years chasing them, recording every single fight, wondering about their secret identities. Even if I was digging to find out the secret they wanted to keep, they always tried to answer my questions, often smiling and bantering with each other. Looking back, it now seems as the superheroic duo just consciously dodged any question hitting too close to home for their comfort. But if I ever annoyed them, or got on their nerves, they never let it show._

 _Those were the good times. The times where all of Paris took their superheroes for granted, figured that Ladybug and Chat Noir would always be there to protect them._

 _Those days are over._

 _As all of Paris now know, seven days ago, at the tick of noon, Ladybug and Chat Noir walked into a final encounter against their long-term nemesis, Hawkmoth. To this day, nobody knows yet what happened up in the Eiffel Tower that fateful day. All that we know for sure is that, after Ladybug now famous threatening speech to Hawkmoth on live news, the superheroic duo Paris has learned to know and love over the years marched into the eye of the tornado without any shadow of a hesitation._

 _They walked in, with the clearly stated intent to stop the supervillain that had been terrorizing Paris for the last four years, or die trying._

 _Roughly an hour after entering the tower, Chat Noir called for emergency services._

 _Minutes later, three broken people were taken away in ambulances._

 _And this is why I'm writing to you today._

 _To remind you that there were_ people _behind those masks._

 _Ladybug and Chat Noir's secret identities might have been revealed in the aftermaths of their encounter with their enemy, but to those who don't_ know _them, their names don't mean anything._

 _They're only that: names._

 _And I want to change that. I want all of Paris to know exactly_ who _are the two young people that went to fight Hawkmoth and left on gurneys._

 _Who are still in the hospital as we speak, the extent of their injuries still unknown._

 _This is my tribute to the two amazing human beings behind the magical masks._

 _Because Ladybug—or Marinette Dupain-Cheng—is the same strong-willed, clever and creative girl on both sides of her spotted mask. She has the same drive to right what's wrong, the same hatred of lies and injustice._

 _But she is so much more than that._

 _She's a passionate and adorable girl, with a really strong creative vibe. She loves fashion and video games, and has yet to give anyone a gift that isn't crafted by her own two hands. She lights up any room she enters, and it's totally impossible to know her without loving her. Everything about her is amazing. Incredible even._

 _Would you believe Ladybug is impossibly clumsy in her civilian life? And yet she is._

 _She's the kind of girl who can (and will) trip on her own feet, who can put salt instead of sugar in cookies, who can drop an open container of paint in the stairs._

 _But she's also the kind of girl that can (and will) go to the moon and back for the people she loves (and all of Paris it turns out)._

 _Over the course of the last four years, I've seen Marinette being selfless on more than one occasion. She always went out of her way to ensure her friends' happiness, even if it meant jeopardizing hers. I've seen her offering half of the lunch she had packed one morning to a classmate that had forgotten hers at home. I've seen her stand up to bullies fearlessly. I've seen her juggling effortlessly classes, a part-time job at her parents' bakery, designing gigs, tutoring classmates in art classes as well as babysitting (plus being a superheroine apparently). All while remaining an awesome friend._

 _And Chat Noir? Chat Noir, whom a lot of you probably recognized as famous supermodel Adrien Agreste, well he is the same pun-loving dork and incredibly selfless and sweet boy whether he is sporting cat ears or not._

 _But he is so much more than that._

 _Adrien has the kindest heart I ever met. There isn't a mean bone in the body of that sunshine child. He has a way to make people feel good about themselves just by talking to them, and his optimism is contagious. Despite being the loneliest person I know before entering public school, despite being overworked most of the time and having every single of his moves carefully scrutinized, he was always gentle and comprehensive toward his peers._

 _And he's the most gigantic geek I know. He_ loves _physics, is a walking anime encyclopedia, enjoy mathematics to unhealthy levels. He grew up under the spotlights, and yet he's incredibly shy and socially awkward in an adorable way._

 _Considering his strict and leisure-less upbringing, is it so surprising that Chat Noir was the most exalted, the most enthusiastic hero of the pair?_

 _Over the last few years, Chat Noir has always been the one among our superheroic duo to selflessly comfort the victims while Ladybug was obviously reluctantly dealing with the press. Our leather-clad kitty has always been the sensitive one out of the pair, the one to strive for comforting even the worst akuma victims._

 _Both of their secret identities have been revealed in the aftermaths of their fight with Hawkmoth. Years of dodging the media's questions, of feeding little white lies every time anyone came too close to the truth, were rendered annihilated by their last feat of strength. There was no more hiding, no more denying when Ladybug and Chat Noir entered the Eiffel Tower that day, and when a very heavily wounded Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste left the battlefield victorious._

 _In light of this, I would like to ask all of Paris to respect their pain, to let them heal in peace. Both of them have battle wounds of their own to nurse, both of them need time and space to properly mend their broken bodies._

 _Instead, honor their sacrifice for our beloved city._

 _Spread the word about how two eighteen-year-old defeated a supervillain on their own, a feat the entire Parisian police force couldn't achieve._

 _Tell the miraculous tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir._


	52. Chapter 52: Comfort

_I didn't plan on posting another one tonight (3!) but you've been so nice! So here's a treat, it's on me. Keep the comments coming!_

* * *

Any onlooker who didn't know better would have said that Adrien Agreste was doing perfectly fine.

The only reminders on his body from that day when his world had suddenly tipped into hell were a long scar marring the skin on his outer left thigh and an obvious limp in his steps. He didn't even have a cast on his left foot and his right arm anymore to remember the horrific events of that day.

He very well could have resumed his life without ever looking back on the past if that's what he had wanted to do. He had money in the bank, and a successful company handed to him on a silver platter, that Natalie had somehow managed to protect from the scandal of the century.

But to anyone who had exchanged more than two words with him in the last three months, it was clear as day that Adrien Agreste was anything but fine.

His entire life had come to a stop.

Three long months had passed, without any sign of improvement on Marinette's state. The bluebell eyes he missed so much were staying stubbornly closed, the laugh he had come to love more than anything had yet to be heard again.

Even though, despite the lack of improvement, despite the eerie silence that had taken up residence in her hospital room, Adrien couldn't bring himself to let her down. Couldn't abandon her, not after all they had been through together.

The second he had been able to stand on his own, no matter how much he limped then, it had been virtually impossible to remove him from her side. At first, the nurses tried to get him to sleep in his own room while he was also hospitalized. When every single morning without fail, they'd find him holding Marinette's lifeless hand, sitting in the uncomfortable chair beside her, his head rested on her mattress, they eventually gave in and rolled his bed in her room.

After all, who were they to try to keep their beloved heroes apart, regardless of hospital rules?

Upon Adrien's request, Natalie paid for the best private room of the hospital, called the best specialists of the country to come and investigate Marinette's case. Her parents tried to discourage him from going to such lengths at first, but when he argued that Gabriel was responsible for all this, and that it was only fair that Gabriel's money fixed it, they eventually caved in. After all, they wanted their daughter back as much as he did, and over the weeks, they had been able to witness on more than one occasion just how stubborn he was when it came to Marinette's well-being. So instead, they just focused on keeping the young man from starving to death, and from going mad with worry.

He had spent a lot of time with them the first weeks, waiting together for Marinette to wake up. Tom and Sabine had been a source of infinite comfort to him, once the shock of realizing just how much they already knew had worn off. They had been there every step of the way with him, supporting him in the hospital corridors when it had been time to exercise his injured leg, sneaking in homemade meals for him to replace the disgusting hospital food, taking Plagg's dairy preferences into account.

They were treating him like their own son, showering him with motherly and fatherly love, taking care of him. And it put a little balm on his shattered heart.

After a while though, bills kept piling up on the bakery's porch, and they had been forced to go back to reality, with the little solace that if Marinette was to wake up in their absence, at least Adrien would be there without fail.

Surprisingly, the media were very respectful of the traumatic events they had gone through. They left him mostly alone, the only reporter reaching out for him having been a tearful Nadja Chamack, half offering him a tribune should he have something to say and half begging for news on Marinette's state.

The Gorilla had proved to be incredibly protective of his pupil, even considering his employer's imprisonment. He guarded Marinette's room jealously, only relinquishing shifts to some of his bodyguards friends in order to sleep a few hours.

The first few days of their hospitalization, the hospital's security had been drastically enforced to try and avoid them being harassed, rendering visiting for anyone who wasn't immediate family nearly impossible. Alas, this also meant none of their classmates were able to visit at first, and they eventually stopped trying.

Nino had been one of the few to achieve the feat; how, Adrien didn't dare to ask. He visited a few times a week, slipping past the nurses somehow, and the young man appreciated his presence greatly. Nino didn't try to push him to talk, didn't ask questions. He just sat there, keeping him company, and talking about anything that wasn't superhero or family related. He never stayed long, but whenever he was away Adrien kept receiving a constant flow of texts of all sorts, ranging from the silliest memes he could find to long rants about the latest video game.

To try to alleviate the bite of Adrien's otherwise lonely days, Natalie, Sabine and Tom had made a concerted effort to keep him occupied. The Gorilla had brought him his computer and a gaming console, while Tom ensured to bring new books every now and then, since he knew how much the young man enjoyed them.

And Adrien read.

He read her so many stories in those three months that his voice was harsh from it, but he didn't mind. It was his way of being with her, of letting her know he was right there, by her side, even if she couldn't see him. He read her fairytales, murder mysteries, beautiful love stories that managed to move him to tears. Every waking hour, he would talk to her in one way or another. If he wasn't reading a book to her, he would ramble about just anything. Describe her his fights in Ultimate Mecha Strike, tell her about his life before meeting her, tell her about his worries, the things he wanted to do with her once she'd wake up. He planned a perfect life for both of them, describing it in great details to the beautiful sleeping face of the woman he loved.

He just had to fill the unbearable silence.

Still, three months, and she had yet to move an eyelash, to twitch a finger.

But still, three months later, her kitty only lived to see her beautiful blue eyes open once again.

* * *

The door opened with a creak, but Adrien didn't bother to turn around. He was tired, and his eyes were getting bleary from staring at Marinette's still figure all day. Weeks of being nourished via IV had creased her features in an unsettling way, and her complexion had gotten somewhat waxy, sickly. She had lost a lot of weight, which she didn't even have to spare to begin with, and the fingernails he trimmed cautiously once a week were becoming thin and frail. Her black hair had outgrown her shoulders, but it had lost its familiar shine. If it weren't for the comforting steady beeping of the machines surroundings her, Adrien would've had a hard time to believe she was still alive, still breathing.

A hand landed on his shoulder, startling him out of his grim thoughts. He didn't move, didn't want to face the intruder. All he wanted was to be left alone with the woman he loved and missed more than anything. He didn't need to hear once again that it could be years before she'd wake up, that he was wasting his youth away by waiting for her.

"This is getting ridiculous, Adrien. You are in dire need of a nice, hot shower, and you need to eat something better than what this hospital has to offer."

Adrien finally lifted his gaze from his girlfriend's motionless body, only to meet Chloe's stern face. Her lips were pinched in an obviously displeased expression upon seeing the state which her childhood friend was in. She sighed, readjusted the bag that hung from her shoulder, and deposited her fresh bouquet of bellflowers and snowdrops on the bedside table. Surprising Adrien's astonished glance, the blonde scoffed, "What? The lady at the flower shop said they meant gratitude and hope. I… I thought it was fitting. You're a mess, Adrien. She would be heartbroken to see you like this."

"Hi, Chlo," he answered, a tired smile on his lips.

The blonde cocked a hip aside, crossing her arms in front of her. "Washing yourself in the bathroom sink with washcloths doesn't qualify as proper showers, Adrien. And Sabine says she has troubles forcing real food down your throat. She's worried about you. We all are."

Her tone was gentle, earnest, and it startled Adrien. It was unusual for her to reach out like that, and it made tears prick at his eyes. "What about Mari? What if she wakes up while I'm gone? Nobody's gonna be there."

Another voice spoke from the threshold, "She's gonna wait for you. You know she will." Nathanael stepped into the room, smiling at him warmly. "We asked, there's a bathroom you can use a few corridors down, Chloe will show you where. I'll keep Mari company, and call you should anything happen, okay?"

Their gentle persuasion, coupled with a few assurances that he was currently driving Tom and Sabine mad with worry, finished to convince him to let Chloe take matters into her capable hands. Nathanael sat in the chair, sketchbook out, and gave him an encouraging thumbs up.

He followed Chloe down the corridors, uneasy at the thought of leaving Marinette's side for the first time in three long months. Sensing his hesitation, the blonde opened a door lightly shoved him inside what turned out to be a fully equipped bathroom, similar to the ones you'd find in locker rooms. "Get in that shower or I'll come in and wash you myself."

"Mari wouldn't like that," Adrien chuckled, reaching to turn the water on.

Chloe sighed, "What she wouldn't like is seeing you like this. Scrub hard, you need it."

"Jeez, thanks," he answered, though this time his smile actually reached his eyes. His modeling experience had gotten rid of any body shyness long ago, and he stretched to remove his shirt.

Averting her gaze, Chloe dropped her shoulder bag on the floor beside the door. "I brought some clean clothes for you, and I'll stay within ear reach should you need help with anything. Tom said your leg's still stiff at times."

"I should be fine, Chlo, thanks."

The door closed behind her, and Adrien finished undressing before stepping under the warm water.

For the first time in weeks, his loneliness stung a little bit less.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, a renewed and freshly shaved Adrien exited the bathroom under Chloe's approving gaze. "There you go, back to the handsome young man we know and love."

He smiled, "Oh? Should Nate be worried?"

She gently nudged him as they walked back to Marinette's room, happy to see him in a better mood than she had found him. "Don't take your dreams for the reality, sunshine. I should have visited sooner, to be honest, but Nino said that you weren't very talka—"

She trailed off, and Adrien followed his gaze, curious.

A few feet from them stood Alya, talking animatedly with a nurse.

Without noticing Chloe slipping away from him, Adrien listened, bemused, as the nurse sighed impatiently, "I don't know what you're expecting me to tell you, Mlle Césaire. There had been no improvement in your friend's state for the last three months, as I've told you last week, and every single week since she's been admitted here. If you're striving for news this much, why don't you go to her parents, or to Mr. Agreste?"

Deflated, Alya choked back on a sob, "I can't. Not when she's here because of me."

This was more than the young man could bear. All of Nino vague texts concerning his girlfriend's wellbeing suddenly shone under a brand new light. He crossed the distance between them swiftly, and gathered her into a bone crushing hug.

Startled, Alya let out a small squeal before dissolving into a mess of tears in his arms, clutching at his forearms desperately. "I'm sorry, Adrien. This is all because of me, I'm so, so, so sorry," she sobbed in his chest as he rubbed comforting circles on her back.

He held her, silently, until the sobs came to a stop. He took her hand, the same way you'd hold an upset child's hand, and he led her to Marinette's room without uttering a single word. She followed him but stopped on the threshold, clearly uncomfortable. "I shouldn't be here, Adrien. This… I almost _killed_ her."

Adrien gently pulled her into the room, not-so-surprised to notice Nathanael and Chloe had left. He walked Alya to the bed and affectionately brushed hair out of Marinette's face. "You didn't do this, Alya. My father did. You've been blaming yourself this whole time?"

She nodded, and Adrien felt his heart break on her behalf. Being with Marinette every day without a change was hard enough on its own, but her _best friend_ had been depriving herself of seeing her out of sheer misplaced guilt. Sitting on the bed, like he had done countless times before, he took Marinette's hand and smiled at the young blogger warmly. "Let me tell you what _really_ happened."

And he talked. He told her everything, from how they had defeated Cosmaniak, how they had convinced the TVi staff to let them air their message to Hawkmoth, how the fight had unfolded in the Tower.

He was halfway through recalling how he had threatened his father to jump down the Tower when he felt a sudden but faint pressure on his fingers. His words died in his throat as Alya gasped, jumping to her feet.

He turned around faster than he ever did in his life, and time stopped.

His gaze met bluebell eyes.


	53. Chapter 53: Flowers and Tears

_Screw this! I'm not going to let you guys simmer when the chapter is all set and ready to go. I love you too much!_

 _You're going to have to be patient for the epilogue though. Make my inbox explode, and I post it tomorrow! (well, today, considering it's 00:32 here XD)_

* * *

Voices were the first thing Marinette was clearly conscious of.

Familiar voices, affectionate voices, that made a pleasant feeling flutter in her stomach.

One voice was more frequent. It kept telling her stories of all sorts, and it was gentle, loving. She was quite fond of that voice, and found herself missing it when it stopped talking.

The second thing Marinette became aware of was touches.

Hands that brushed her hair gently, fingers that held hers, warm kisses on her forehead.

With time, she came to realize that the touches almost always came with her favorite voice.

At first, the conscious periods were sparse, briefs and confusing. She had trouble making out words out of the voices, and then organizing said words into sentences.

They then became longer, and she found herself looking forward to the nice voice and its stories.

With the extended periods of consciousness soon came the frustrations. Her whole body was heavy, exhausted beyond reason, and the very idea of opening her eyes was tiresome enough to send her back into sleep. Yet, she wanted to put a face on the nice voice, wanted to ask questions about its stories.

Without any awareness of days and nights, time passed unbeknownst to her. She slept, listened to the kind voices and reveled in the warm touches.

Until one day, she heard the nice voice telling a different story, a story that seemed oddly familiar.

It began speaking of a fallen Eiffel Tower, of a message recorded in a hotel room. It spoke about butterflies, about yoyos and broken ankles, about magical earrings.

She felt the familiar hand around her own, warm, comforting, and she was suddenly overcome with a desire to _see_ whom the nice voice belonged to. Mustering all of her strength, she willed herself to regain control of her body. Tentatively, she tried to squeeze the fingers wrapped around hers. The voice stopped talking, to her utter dismay, and she desperately wanted to ask it to resume, to tell her how the story ended.

Her eyes fluttered open.

Green.

That's the first thing she saw.

Two peridot orbs peering into her eyes.

The nice voice gasped, and an entire face built itself around the green. A pale skin, a mop of sunny-blond hair, pink, thin lips.

The fingers left hers and the man sat on the bed beside her, gently stroking her cheek with the back of his hand. He sustained her gaze, smiling broadly at her. A magnificent, blinding smile that made her stomach flutter pleasantly.

"Mari! How are you feeling? Are you in pain? Thirsty?" the nice voice asked. Excruciatingly slowly, she nodded, and the handsome blond instantly picked up on her meaning. "Alya, can you get some water? And call her parents?"

Movement caught the corner of her eye, but turning her head was too much of an effort. She settled on looking at the beautiful young man who was still staring at her with that amazing smile.

He was holding her hand again, caressing her cheek gently. The other person came back, a woman with hazel eyes and red hair, and handed him a plastic cup with shaky fingers.

The man took the cup from her and pressed it to Marinette's lips, gently. She tentatively took a sip, the water easing the soreness of her throat. Marinette took a few more little sips, before closing her lips. The young man understood instantly and retracting the cup, still smiling. "Better?"

She nodded again, her fingers squeezing his faintly. She felt tired again, and keeping her eyes open was increasingly difficult. The man bent over her, his lips gently brushing against the skin of her forehead. "It's okay, Mari. You need to gather your strength. I'll be right here when you wake up, my strong little bug. I love you, Marinette."

 _Love? Is that pleasant flutter love? Love is nice._

Everything went black again.

* * *

The next time she woke up, her room was dark, and she was alone with the young man. He was asleep on the chair beside her, his head lying on the mattress near her hand. Wiggling her fingers tentatively, she reached for the soft blond hair, gently stroking them.

 _Adrien._

The word came to the forefront of her mind, and she grasped onto it. The nice voice and nice touches had a name, and it was Adrien.

"A … Adrien?" her voice was hoarse from lack of use, ragged, but it was enough to stir him from his slumber.

Rubbing his eyes to ease away the sleepiness, he smiled at her softly, "Hi, princess. Is everything okay?"

The concern in his voice, the obvious love in his eyes, it made her heart clench in her chest. Marinette smiled, nodding weakly. "Hold me." The words were spoken before she could even consider them, but the brilliant smile that radiated on the man's face melted her heart a little bit further.

"Sure thing, princess," he said, pulling himself onto the bed beside her, careful of not disturbing any tubes and wires. There, he pulled her lithe body into his arms, wrapping himself around her in a loving, comforting embrace. Adrien pressed a brief kiss on her shoulder, and sighed happily, "I missed you so much, Mari. I love you, I love you so, so much."

"Too…" Marinette mumbled, reveling in his warmth. She nestled against his chest and breathed his scent in, the beating of his heart lulling her back to sleep. Just as she started to relax, her earrings suddenly heated against her skin, startling her. She let out a small whimper and her eyes jerked open, frantically searching the room anything that could've caused the pain.

"What's wrong?" asked Adrien, worry dripping in every word.

Marinette opened her mouth to answer, but a loud pop resonated in the room, and a small red blob fell on her stomach. Marinette squealed weakly, and Tikki darted toward her cheek, excitedly nuzzling it, "Mari! My little warrior! I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you!"

A tear slid down Marinette's cheek, and she lifted a hand to gently pat the magical being, sobbing, "You… you… saved my life… Tikki…"

"I thought I'd lost you, Marinette," sobbed the little kwami, "all of my energy has been barely enough to keep you alive. Never pull a trick like that on me again!"

It took a few minutes to calm both of them down, but once Tikki was happily cuddling with Plagg in a corner of the room, Marinette settled back in Adrien's arms, a happy spark in her eyes that wasn't there moments prior as she drifted back to sleep.

* * *

The following weeks were little more than a foggy blur.

She woke up more often, and stayed awake for more extended periods. Her memories became clearer and she had less gaps in her waking moments, her limbs were more and more obedient.

Every single progress was cheered upon by an enthusiastic Adrien, carefully monitoring her every move.

He was a comforting constant through the entire ordeal, always there every time she succeeded in opening her eyes, his soothing voice always there whenever she failed to.

The young man encouraged her with every single little victory, celebrating the smallest of feats without shame.

The more progress she made, the more affectionate he got with her, and she didn't mind the slightest. The first time she managed to stay awake and coherent for more than a few minutes granted her a bone-crushing hug. When she succeeded in sitting through an entire afternoon, she was rewarded with her first kiss on the lips ever since the battle. Marinette barely managed to prevent him from taking champagne out when she took her first, tentative steps in the hospital corridor.

But, more than anything, it was the unwavering love surrounding her that motivated her, prompted to go past her limitations. The way her parents stopped by every single day, despite the bakery's constraints. The flowers Chloe kept sending, with generic cards signed by her hand but harboring a definite Nathanael's doodle beside her name. The playlists Nino put together for her and Adrien, the movies Alya insisted she must watch.

Adrien's steadfast affections, his dependable care day after day, without fail. His encouraging words, his absentminded kisses when he thought she was asleep, his unwavering devotion toward her. The way he selflessly took care of her, helping her bathe until she was able to do so on her own, brushing her hair almost reverently every single day, lifting her up when she was feeling down. She wouldn't have been able to make it without him, and she told him so day after day.

Day by day, with his reliable support, she was becoming herself again.

* * *

Marinette finally found the courage to ask what had been on her mind for most of her waking moments a few weeks after the first time she had opened her eyes. Adrien was sitting beside her on the bed, trying to beat some boss on his portable console. Gulping, she put her hand on his arm and spoke softly, "Adrien? What happened that day? After I…"

He casted a glance at her, and upon seeing the seriousness of her expression turned off his game, setting the console aside. "What day? In the Tower?"

"Yes," she whispered, her heart caught somewhere in her throat. "Nobody ever talks about what happened, how we ended up here. I don't even know where Hawkmoth is, or if we defeated him and—"

He deflated, his shoulders slumping. "That's… that's because Hawkmoth turned out to be my father."

She gasped, her hand flying to cover her mouth. Tears pooled in her eyes, and she almost threw herself at him, pulling him into a tight hug. "Oh my gosh, Adrien, I'm so sorry!"

He hugged her back, tears of his own falling in her hair. "It's okay, Mari. I… I'm still coming to terms with all of this, but it's getting better."

"Still… It's horrible. Did you have to hurt him?"

Adrien sighed warily, refusing to let go of her. He had known all along that this day would come, but had hoped to postpone it a little, if only to spare her the horrifying details of what had gone down in the Eiffel Tower.

Nonetheless, he shifted against the pillows, cradling her carefully in his arms, and he began talking. He told her everything, recalling that painful day in every details. Marinette listened to him intently, her eyes wide with horror as what he had been through sunk in. He went on, telling her how he himself had woken up in a hospital room with her father by his side. Telling her about how he had waited for her to wake up, how Chloe had had to coax him of her room to shower, how he had found Alya in the hospital lobby.

When he stopped talking, Marinette was pressed against his chest, sobbing quietly. "I'm so sorry, Adrien. I love you, I love you so much, and it rips my heart open to know you had to face all of this without me."

"Hey, it's okay princess," he said, "you're safe. That's the only thing that matters to me now. My father… what he did was horrible, and he lost his freedom for it. He chose power over me, his own son, and I don't think I could ever forgive him. Me, I'm choosing you, Mari."

Her sobs eventually came to a stop, as his heartbeat slowly but surely calmed her down. Her eyes closed of their own accord, and she sighed contentedly, "I never want to leave your arms, it's my favorite place in the world."

His heart swelled pleasantly in his chest, and Adrien tightened his grip on her, "Once we get out of here, I'm going to marry you and buy us a nice little house for us to live in, together, as a family. I never want to be without you again."

Marinette's world came to a stop. The implications of his words sunk in, making her brain shift in second gear, "Is… is that a proposal?"

Adrien froze, realizing what he had just said. He chuckled, then, smiling into her hair, "Oops. I'm sorry, Marinette, I promised you flowers and tears, the perfect ring… I have neither of those. I'm really sorry, princess, this is the lamest proposal of all times, but I don't wanna take it back."

"There's flowers on the bedside table and tears in my eyes. Close enough," she stammered, still taking comfort in the proximity of his body.

"Well, then," Adrien answered, "Marinette, will you marry me, even if this stray has no ring to offer you?"

He laughed, the low rumble of his chest lulling her to a half-asleep state. She somehow remembered that he had asked her a question, and she sighed, her fingers finding his near her waist, "Any day."

His lips crashed on hers, hard, and Marinette found herself melting into his arms. The kiss was brief, yet searing and somehow sweetly passionate. It conveyed a lot of unspoken words, of pent-up emotions, and it was incredibly fulfilling. It was the first kiss beyond a simple peck ever since she woke up, and they both realized how much they missed it.

His arms closed further around her. Emotions of the day took their toll on her, and Marinette let the beating of his heart coax her toward sleep.

She almost missed the kiss pressed on her temple, and his soft whisper, "I love you, Marinette."

For the first time ever since that cursed day where everything had gone wrong, Adrien found himself looking forward to the future.

* * *

The elegant white-golden band with a single, princess cut diamond that had made a sudden apparition on her left ring finger a few days later had thrown Alya into a loud fit of squeals to Nino's ears utter dismay, and had Sabine gushing endlessly over it. Tom didn't say anything on the matter, but the energetic pats that left Adrien's shoulder sore for a few days were telling enough on their own.

For the time being, though, Marinette's brain was light-years away from wedding preparation. She was pouting while Adrien prepared a spoonful of food for her, which only made Tom chuckle. "Why are you so intent on draining yourself, cupcake? Adrien enjoys taking care of you."

She took the bite that was presented to her lips before grimacing. "I can't wait to be on my feet again. I'm just a dead weight."

"You're not a dead weight. You cheated death, princess. That's something," Adrien said softly as he prepared another spoonful.

She scoffed, watching his every move. "Adrien, I can eat on my own, you know."

"Don't care," he said, raising the spoon to her lips again. "Keep your energy for getting better, that's all I ask of you."

A knock on the door startled them all, and Sabine rose to her feet to open it. "Oh. Evening, grandfather."

Marinette almost choked on her bite when none other than Master Fu entered the room, smiling softly. "Grandfather?"

Her mother looked at her sheepishly, "I guess we left that part out?"

Adrien groaned, moving to sit beside his girlfriend on the bed. "You kinda did."

"The magic has a thing for following the blood bonds when it comes to electing its next chosens. You both have a long list of ancestors who were magic wielders," said Master Fu, softly.

The young man's eyes widened, "then my father…"

"Stole the brooch from your mother when she passed away, Adrien. He was never meant to be a holder, and he let the grief consume him," Sabine answered, her eyes still full of love and understanding. "Amelya would be incredibly proud of you, my boy. Her early departure was tragic, but she loved you dearly."

"I'm sure you have many questions regarding your mother, Adrien, and I will gladly answer them in time. But for now, word is that Ladybug has finally woken up from her beauty sleep," the old man said, smirking. "So I came to see how my great-grand-daughter was doing."

Marinette looked down, staring at her hands in her lap. "Better. But…" her voice broke, but Adrien knew where she was headed. They had talked about this issue many times before, as this was a worry they shared.

So he resumed her train of thoughts, squeezing her fingers into his comfortingly, "I guess you're here to take our miraculouses away? Now that Hawkmoth's isn't a threat anymore?"

Fu shook his head, an enigmatic smile on his face. "I should. Every rule in the book of the Guardian states that I should collect the black cat and the ladybug's miraculouses and take them back to safety."

"But…?" Marinette asked, tentatively, hopefully.

"In this particular case, I think this would do more harm than good. I'm trusting you both to take good care of them."

Sabine, shocked, stood up, "Seriously? It's unheard for any miraculous holder to keep his kwami once it isn't needed anymore."

Master Fu nodded, leaning on his cane. "Those two are special, Sabine, you must see it as well as I do, if not better. I think I can afford to overlook the rules this time, no one will blame me."

"But what about their identities? All of Paris knows who they are now, is that really wise?" she stammered, bewildered by the unexpected turn of events.

The old man nodded again, the enigmatic smile still dancing on his lips. "Even if their identities have been exposed this just means that the current Ladybug and Chat Noir will have to retire. Without an immediate menace looming over their head, I honestly think Tikki and Plagg can figure out something."

The rest of the conversation was lost on Marinette and Adrien, both busy hugging the kwamis they had been so sure would be taken away from them. Tikki and Plagg (surprisingly) were giggling happily, cuddling with their respective charges and grinning.

They'd figure out the rest in due time.

They'd still have each other to rely on, and that was the only thing that mattered.

* * *

It took another two weeks for Marinette to be discharged from the hospital.

The doctors gave her the green light to go home on a cold morning of fall, and she all but excitedly jumped into Adrien's arms. They packed their things with an easy banter, and if Marinette noticed that he kept looking at his phone, she didn't mention it.

Still the epitome of efficiency, the Gorilla pulled up in front of the hospital twenty minutes later and help them load their belongings in the trunk of the car. Almost six months within the white walls had hoarded a lot of books, games and gifts in Marinette's room. Adrien helped her in the car, cautiously, like he was worried she would break at the weakest wind blow.

His phone chimed in his pocket, and he pressed a kiss on her temple, "I have a surprise for you, Mari."

Marinette looked at him, curious, "A surprise? What have you done, silly kitty?"

The grin he flashed her melted her heart like an ice cube on a beach.

Minutes later, the Gorilla pulled up in front of a two-story building with a modern facade. The front yard was tastefully decorated with huge flower beds and a field stone alley leading to a cute porch where a swing was installed by the front door. The property was surrounded by a wrought-iron fence, and from the streets you could see vapory white curtains hanging at the windows.

"Adrien, what…?"

Wordlessly, the young man exited the car and held his hand out for her, "Follow me, please."

Marinette slid her hand into his and complied as he led her up the alley. Reaching the door, he opened it with a smirk, and gently tugged his fiancée inside.

"SURPRISE!"

Tears pooled in Marinette's eyes as she took in the uncanny sight in front of her. Her parents, Natalie, Nino and Alya as well as most of their old classes including, not so shockingly, Chloe and Nathanael were all packed into a small but cozy living room. A large streamer had been hung above their heads, sporting in neon-colored letters "Welcome home to our heroes!"

Turning to face Adrien, her hand still tucked into his, she stammered, "But… But what—what is this?"

"If you want it, our home." There was hope shining in the green eyes, along with all the love in the world.

"How did you even pull this off? You never left the hospital, even for a few minutes!" she asked, bewildered. "When you said you'd buy us a house, I didn't expect it to be straight away! But, knowing you, I should've guessed."

Nino smirked, "Yeah, meet Adrien 'Extra' Agreste. You should see the sewing room, he kinda went overboard."

Natalie spoke, interrupting Marinette's train of thoughts concerning said sewing room, "Upon Adrien's request, I found and bought this property on his behalf for both of you."

"We all helped moving the furniture in and decorate it," Alya stated, grinning through the happy tears sliding down her face, "and your parents already filled up the fridge and pantry."

Sabine and Tom took a step forward, the former gently grabbing her daughter by the shoulders, smiling at her fondly. "We all wanted you both to have a place of your own to make new memories, to put what happened behind you and get a new beginning. While you're both still quite young, what you went through undoubtedly aged you both before your time."

"So, what do you say, princess? Move in with me?" Adrien asked, his voice slightly faltering. His hand was clammy in hers, and he was little more than a nervous wreck.

Smiling, Marinette stretched herself to plant a peck on his lips, before saying softly, "Any day, kitty."

For the first time in many months, Adrien purred.


	54. Epilogue

_We are still kids, but we're so in love_ _  
_ _Fighting against all odds_ _  
_ _I know we'll be alright this time_ _  
_ _Darling, just hold my hand_ _  
_ _Be my girl, I'll be your man_ _  
_ _I see my future in your eyes_  
(Ed Sheeran, Perfect, 2017)

It was getting rather dark outside, but Marinette didn't even bother to notice. All of her attention was solely focused on the alterations she was making on the wedding dress hanging on the dress form before her. She quietly hummed the love song playing in the background, happily hemming and correcting the garment. She proudly took a step back, admiring her work.

It was a rather simple yet stunning dress. With a floor-length A-line skirt made of sparkling white tulle, the backless dress was really a piece of art, one of her best designs to that day. It sported a soft boat neck line, and the corsage was embroidered with ivory pearls in a very intricate pattern. A matching veil was waiting patiently on another work table, with so many pearls sewn into it that it was shining into the mild darkness reigning in her workroom. She was really proud of her work, and dearly hoped the client would love it as much as she did.

Suddenly, strong arms snaked around her waist, and a low, well-known voice whispered in her ear, "Do you remember our own wedding day?"

With a frustrated sigh, Marinette lashed out. "Adrien Agreste! I had scissors in my hands! I could have hurt you! Or even worse, gotten blood on the dress!"

He ignored her pleas, peppering featherlight kisses along the line of her jaw. "We were on the beach, you wore a dress so beautiful that I fell in love with you all over again."

"Adrien, don't try to distract me!" she shrieked, trying to escape her husband's arms, to no avail.

He only chuckled, refusing to relinquish his grip on her. "You looked so small as you walked up to me on your father's arm, him utterly glowing with pride."

"Adrien!"

He nibbled on the lobe of her ear, his arms circling her waist and swaying his hips in beat with the music. "We danced our first dance to this very song."

She spun around within his embrace, very clearly annoyed. "Adrien, this dress is due next week!"

"Then you have plenty of time to make another one," he pouted, leaning forward to press a kiss on her lips.

She frowned, trying to pull away from him. "Do you really want Chloe to go all Bridezilla on us?"

He shrugged, still hugging her tightly. "I still don't get her and Nathaniel getting married. They're like … water and oil."

Marinette smiled sweetly. "I do. Where she is flamboyant and loud, he is shy and composed. She makes him come out of his shell and actually try things he wouldn't try without her, while he tones her down and makes her think twice before acting. They complete each other."

Adrien kissed her collarbone tenderly. "Just like us. You're the yang to my yin."

"I am, kitty. I sure am." Marinette's lips met his in a heated kiss, as she knew fairly well she was done for. Even five years into their marriage, she couldn't refuse him anything, and that included kisses and cuddles in her workroom when she was behind on schedule. "So what are you up to tonight, besides preventing me from getting work done?"

"I missed you," he confessed without further ceremony, his voice muffled by her hair.

She laughed softly, breathing in his familiar, comforting scent. "We saw each other not even three hours ago, discussing the fall collection in your office. We even had dinner together, silly kitty."

"That's way too long ago," he answered, pouting like a child that had been denied a candy. "Why are we even paying all of those seamstresses if I can't have my wife to myself? Surely one of them can finish it?"

Marinette sighed deeply, hugging her husband tight by that point. "You're going to be the end of me, you know that? I don't _want_ them to finish it, Adrien, it's _my_ design. They're busy enough with the fall line as it is anyway."

He shrugged. "You can always finish that dress tomorrow."

"Yeah, I could very well. Until tomorrow night you find another excuse to keep me all to yourself, and the day after. You're getting selfish, Adrien," she chuckled lightly, gently booping him on the nose.

He smiled sheepishly. "Can I help it if I can't ever get enough of my amazing wife?"

"You're such a sap."

"Last time I checked, you loved me like that," he said, finally letting go of her. Marinette pecked him on the lips, ignoring Plagg pretending to gag in the background. Tikki was curled up against her counterpart, sleeping peacefully.

She chuckled lightly, returning her attention to Chloe's dress. "I do love you, minou. How was the institute tonight?"

Adrien smiled sadly, recalling the long way he and his father had come. It took Marinette the better part of two years to convince him to at least talk to Gabriel on the phone, if only to humor the psychiatrists who were sure that would help both men move on. It took another year of awkward and short conversations on the phone before he could bring himself to visit the psychiatric ward where his father was imprisoned. He had visited monthly ever since, trying to slowly mend the broken bond with his last living relative, constantly encouraged and cheered for by his amazing wife and guided by Master Fu's quiet wisdom.

Speaking of, Adrien stopped by the old man's shop at least once weekly, always bringing him pastries from his in-laws bakery. Plagg also greatly enjoyed those meetings and had taken a liking in pranking poor Nooroo, who had made a full recovery from his awful experience. Some jeweller Master Fu knew pretty well had been able to repair the brooch without much hassle, to Adrien's relief. The Guardian honored his promise of answering all of his questions regarding his mother and her past as a miraculous wielder, which surprisingly didn't caused her early death. As far as Master Fu knew, she really had passed away from natural causes. Both men built a strange but solid friendship on those premises, and the old man guidance and counseling helped Adrien greatly to cope with the entire ordeal.

"Great, actually," he finally answered. "Father's not rambling as much as he used to, and he can hold conversations most of the time, if we don't bring up any triggers. It's still a little weird to see him in those hospital clothes, but he's … we're making progress." He trailed off, unsure of the right way of formulating his thoughts, "Mari… I still can't wrap my head around the fact that you don't hate him, he … he almost killed you, and—"

"But he didn't," Marinette cut short, her tone gentle and soothing. "He's the last blood-related family you have, and he's already paying a really steep price for his wrongdoings."

"Still," Adrien prodded, his hand buried in his pockets, "it seems to me that it's an awful lot to forgive that easily. Heck, even I haven't forgiven him, how could you?"

She smiled, a pin between her lips. "I don't know if forgiveness is the right word, chaton. I think it's more about understanding. I've told you a million times already that he is sick, Adrien, and in his ill mind he was doing the right thing to protect you, to give you your family back. It doesn't mean that I'm ready to overlook everything he has done to Paris, to _us,_ but for _your_ sake, I think we have to try to work it out. I'm genuinely glad that he's getting better. Did he ask about the company this time?"

Her words made his heart explode in his chest. How in the world so much kindness, understanding and wisdom could fit in that little body? Adrien closed the distance she had put between them, and pulled her back into his arms, forcing her to stop her hand stitching, making her grunt in frustration. He ignored it, nuzzling his nose in her hair. "Not at all. He doesn't seem to care very much, if you ask me. All he ever talks about is me, my childhood and my mother. He did, however, ask about my lovely wife."

"Oh?"

He kissed the top of her head softly. "He wanted to know when we're planning to give him grandkids." Adrien felt her stiffen in his embrace upon hearing his words. "Hey relax princess, I was just—"

Marinette pulled back from him slightly, looking into his eyes and blurted out, "How about this fall?"

His mind short-circuited hearing those words.

He had been heavily hinting that he wanted children sooner than later for the past two years, but the timing had never been right for her.

The first months at Agreste had been harsh. He had kept the fashion line for her, because she enjoyed designing so much and was so good at it. It had the added bonus of keeping himself occupied and providing a living for both of them, so on paper it was the perfect solution.

Reality had proved to be a bit rougher. A lot of Gabriel's employees had quit after Hawkmoth's demise, to avoid being associated with the supervillain. The ones that remained were wary of the Agreste son, and gossiped shamelessly about how he had put his fiancée in charge of the fashion department without any formation whatsoever. To Adrien's utter dismay, Marinette had therefore overworked herself to the bone for weeks on end trying to prove herself while preparing their wedding, despite being the only employee in the building that didn't have to fear unemployment.

Her career as Agreste head designer had finally soared through the roof when Alya had conveniently let it slip to the press Marinette had designed her wedding dress herself. The day after, they had received hundreds of inquiries concerning the launching date for a wedding line of the Agreste brand. This had been her well-deserved and ultimate recognition, effectively silencing any lingering doubt about her competence.

But it also meant a lot more work for both of them even if Natalie was doing most of the managing, and she kept stalling the baby project, always giving him the same reason: they didn't have enough spare time on their hands to care properly for a child. They barely had time to spend with Alya and Nino, who already had their second child on the way and literally lived across the street. How could they expect to have enough hours in a day to look after a baby of their own? Tom and Sabine had dropped the matter a while ago, knowing that it was a sensitive topic between the lovebirds, but it was no secret to anyone that a bunch of little knitted socks were waiting longingly at the Dupain-Cheng bakery.

And because Adrien loved his wife more than anything, he waited patiently for her to be ready to take the next step in their relationship, in their lives.

"This fall? Mari, it's already late February and—and—Princess, are you trying to tell me something?"

The way she was staring at him, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt and waiting nervously for his reaction, was enough confirmation for him. "YOU'RE PREGNANT?"

She nodded shyly, still watching his face closely, her whole body tensed as a guitar string.

"But—when? How?" he stammered, his heart pounding in his ears.

Plagg snickered in the background, disturbing Tikki who stirred up lazily from her slumber. "Well, when a mommy and a daddy love each other very much…"

Adrien frowned. "I know how babies are made, thank you very much, Plagg." Taking Marinette's hands into his, he asked softly, "I thought you weren't ready?"

"I've been off the pill since around Christmas. I wanted to surprise you, I thought you wanted this…" She trailed off, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

Adrien pulled her close, hugging her. "Hey, hey, it's okay. I want this more than anything. I'm thrilled, really. I'm just surprised, I thought you didn't want kids for the time being."

She wiped her tears, smiling as he kissed her wet cheeks. "I'm sorry, I'm really emotional lately. I… I just figured that if I kept waiting for the right time, it would never come. Besides, I realized it was unfair of me to overlook your dreams in favor of mine, knowing you'll be there every step of the way to help me make this work."

He smiled at her, a smile full of love and bliss. "When are you due?"

"We'll know for sure when we see a doctor, but if my calculations are correct, early October."

Adrien cupped her cheeks with his fingers, peppering her face with kisses. "Don't worry, everything's gonna be fine. You won't have to sacrifice a thing, I promise. When did you find out?"

"This morning. I made three tests just to be sure," she added, chuckling. "I had a big scheme planned out at home for you to find out, but instead I ruined the surprise and just kinda blurted it out when you brought it up. Sorry."

She was obviously disappointed, and Adrien just had to try and comfort her. "I don't mind, princess. Perfection is overrated anyway, I prefer my spontaneous Marinette. That's the woman I chose to marry. She is my perfection."

She gasped, clasping her hands to her mouth, "Oh my gosh! I've been teasing you for years for buying a house without telling me, but I—I just basically did the same thing, didn't I?"

"Pretty much," Adrien laughed, "but you're talking to the man who couldn't even wait for you to be discharged from the hospital to propose."

Marinette wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder, "True. Tell me, what would've you done if I had forgotten in the morning?"

A kiss, Plagg silently gagging in the background, another kiss. "I would've proposed every morning, until you remembered." He kissed her again, this time a slow and loving kiss. She melted into his arms, taking in his scent, his heat. He smiled into the kiss and pulled back with a smirk. "We'll make a doctors appointment tomorrow morning. But right now, your husband is gonna take his beautiful wife home and make love to her like she deserves to."

"But—Chloe's dress?" Marinette supplied weakly, fully aware that it was useless.

He lifted her in his arms, like he had done five years prior on their wedding day and like he still did every chance he got. "Tomorrow. Don't even try to think I will leave you alone after dropping news like these on me."

Knowing pretty well that he had already won, she wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head in the crook of his neck. Tikki and Plagg flew into her purse, hiding from onlookers, while Adrien carried her out of the building, both impervious to the curious looks of their employees.

Adrien finally set her down as he reached the alley behind Agreste headquarters, pulling his car keys from his pockets.

Marinette obviously had other things in mind, pulling him down for a kiss and smiling wickedly, Tikki sitting on her shoulder, "Race you home?"

"But… Is it safe for the baby?" he asked, eyes wide.

Tikki giggled, "Thanks! Plagg owes me pats now!"

"Should have known he wouldn't even last an hour before worrying," Plagg grumbled, eliciting a laugh from the rest of their odd group.

"Don't worry, Adrien, the suit will protect the baby. Have your fun."

With a smile, both heroes called upon their transformations and took off on the rooftops in colorful flashes. They ran, both drunk on the familiar sensation of the wind caressing their exposed skin, on the flutter of their stomachs as they dived into the void.

From a street below, a civilian pointed to the dark silhouettes jumping from roof to roof and called out, "Look! It's Panther and Coccinelle!"

Adrien smirked behind the mask. He looked at the chocolate skin of his wife a few steps ahead of him, at the myriad of brown braids tied up in a ponytail at the back of her head, going down to her hips. Her suit was mostly red, with large black dots covering her back. He didn't have to look at himself to know his blond hair had been replaced with short brown curls, his eyes casting a yellow glow on his olive skin.

The glamour Tikki and Plagg had imagined was perfect.

All of those years, and yet nobody suspected that the so-called next generation of superheroes watching over Paris was simply Ladybug and Chat Noir in clever magical disguises.

Ladybug and Chat Noir, chasing each other on Parisian rooftops, like they always had.

Without surprise, Marinette reached their house before him. She landed gracefully on their bedroom balcony, dropping her transformation and flashing him a bright smile. He jumped beside her in one swift movement and took in the beauty of his wife. Her hair was back to a blueish-black that shone in the moonlight, her eyes to the beautiful blue he loved so much.

She stood on the tip of her toes, wrapping her arms around his neck, burying her fingers in the blond hair. "I love you, Adrien," she purred against his lips as he chased them, pulling her into a passionate kiss.

When they broke apart to breathe, he rested his forehead on hers and laid his hand on her stomach, a magnificent smile spread on his lips.

"I love you too, Mari. Both of you."

 _The End_


End file.
